On Thursday 1 July, from 9.00 am to 1.30 pm, CENIT, CIECTI and Fundar hosted the seminar ‘Visions for the Future of Agriculture in Argentina’, the second in the series of seminars on natural resources and sustainable development.
The series aims to facilitate an in-depth discussion on natural resources and sustainable development in the current context of Argentina. It seeks to highlight the opportunities and tensions – of a productive, social, political and environmental nature – arising from the exploitation of natural resources, and to open up a debate on the perspectives held by various political, business and social stakeholders on these issues.
Agenda:
- Roberto Bisang (IIEP-UBA): “Structural changes, lessons learnt and prospects for Argentine agricultural production”.
Current profile of Argentina’s agro-industrial chains: composition, location, employment, regional impact and external integration. New technologies and forms of organisation. The diverse facets of the ‘agricultural sector’ and its regional roots. Current tensions and future prospects.
- Esteban Jobbágy (UNSL-CONICET): “The environmental footprint of grain farming in Argentina”.
Argentina is home to one of the world’s major grain-producing regions. Whilst similar regions in North America, Europe and Asia are damaging the environment through over-fertilisation and the depletion of aquifer reserves, in Argentina soil nutrients are being depleted and increasing water surpluses are being generated. Record levels of herbicide use have, until now, sustained a system that is inefficient in terms of productivity and investment. Is it possible to produce more with less impact? It is urgent to find a path of our own that recognises the influence of taxes and subsidies on the system.
- Verónica Gutman (Di Tella Foundation): “International trade and climate change: Challenges for the medium and long term”.
What challenges does the agricultural sector face in terms of international trade in the context of the Paris Agreement and the climate commitments made by Argentina? 1) A growing trend towards the introduction of market access requirements based on environmental and climate criteria; 2) The implications of the country’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050, which it will present at COP 26 in Glasgow; 3) The potential impacts of shifts in global diets towards lower consumption of meat and animal-based foods.
- Juan O’Farrell (Fundar): “Biotechnology (and the State) as both a problem and a solution: the political economy of innovation and agricultural sustainability”.
The sustainability of agricultural production can serve as an overarching objective around which to coordinate policies on innovation and productive development, particularly with regard to inputs such as biotechnology. This strategy presents a number of political and institutional challenges, including the concentration of the supply of inputs in the hands of a few multinational companies, the difficulties faced by local firms in accessing the market, and the fragmentation of state instruments for the promotion of science and technology.
- Andrés Lopez (IIEP-UBA-CONICET): “The development and dissemination of digital technologies in the agri-food value chain: opportunities and challenges”.
Humanity faces the challenge of providing food for a growing population whilst preserving ecosystem services. Precision agriculture can help to address this challenge. Furthermore, given the highly idiosyncratic nature of precision agriculture production, countries such as Argentina are well placed to drive innovation in this new technological field. We will explore the opportunities and challenges surrounding the creation and dissemination of knowledge related to precision agriculture in the country.
- Lilia Stubrin (CENIT-EEyN-UNSAM / CONICET): “Opportunities and challenges for accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence in the agricultural machinery sector”.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a general-purpose technology that is expected to revolutionise production across the board, transforming processes, boosting productivity and even promoting the more efficient use of resources. However, its widespread adoption will not happen automatically. Companies across various sectors will need to learn, develop new capabilities and make specific investments. In this presentation, we will discuss the progress and challenges involved in the adoption of AI by the agricultural machinery sector in Argentina, and how to accelerate the adoption of AI in this sector.
- Daniel Scacchi (Aceleradora Litoral): “How can we strengthen the innovation ecosystem in the agricultural sector? Reflections based on the insights and lessons learnt from Aceleradora del Litoral”.
The development of cutting-edge innovations through science-industry synergies in the field of Argentine agricultural biotechnology has demonstrated the effectiveness of this type of collaboration in addressing both local and global challenges. In this presentation, we will reflect on how to strengthen these interrelationships, using the Aceleradora del Litoral as a case study.
- Sergio Feingold (INTA): “Agrobiotechnology: from GMOs to Gene Editing”.
Argentina was a pioneer in the adoption of genetically modified crops almost 25 years ago. This technology, which has brought both benefits and challenges, has not been utilised to its full potential. What lessons can be learnt from the emergence of gene editing, which promises to revolutionise genetic improvement once again?
- María Mercedes Patrouilleau (JGM/INTA).
- Gabriel Delgado (IICA Brasil).
- Federico Bert (IICA).
- Diego Gauna (INTA).
Moderator: Carlos Freytes (Fundar).
If you’d like to watch the first seminar, ‘Envisioning Argentina’s Future in Agriculture, Mining and Energy’, you can find it on our YouTube channel.
