Technological innovation and new forms of sustainable production that have a direct impact on food systems were the subject of a debate attended by the director of the Centre of Excellence, Daniel Balaban, on 8 October at the Curicaca Festival in Brasilia.
Balaban was part of the panel “Eating the future: from the field to the consumer, technologies are changing what we eat and how we produce it” on the BNDES Stage – New Industry Brazil: Ecosystems, Startups and Sustainability. The panel also brought together the National Secretary for Food and Nutritional Security of the Ministry of Social Development and Fight against Hunger, Lilian Rahal, and the CEO of Agrosmart, Mariana Vasconcelos.
In his speech, Daniel Balaban highlighted the importance of connecting technology, sustainability and public policies in building a more just and resilient future. “Food and nutritional security increasingly depend on solutions that integrate innovation and productive inclusion. The technologies already exist; the challenge now is to use them strategically to promote social inclusion and build fairer, more resilient and sustainable food systems,” he said.
Mariana Vasconcelos highlighted the importance of technology in agriculture and listed challenges. “Digital technology in the field, such as sensors and traceability apps, can transform agricultural production — but we still face barriers such as expensive connectivity, lack of financing, and the need to train producers.”
For Lilian Rahal, ensuring food security is more than just producing food: “It means ensuring access, consumption and healthy eating, with policies that reach vulnerable populations and integrate government, civil society and the private sector. And new technologies can help us in this task,” she said.
The Curicaca Festival, held between 7 and 11 October, is an initiative of the Brazilian Industrial Development Agency (ABDI) and brought together representatives from companies, universities, research centres and international organisations in Brasilia to discuss topics such as the bioeconomy, food security, decarbonisation and sustainability.
With an expected audience of up to 30,000 people per day, the event was held at the Mané Garrincha Stadium (Arena BRB) as its main stage, in addition to activities spread across cultural spaces throughout the city.