Agriculture around the world is rapidly advancing to serve the 2 billion additional mouths over the next 30 years. Australia develops technology centers to reinforce the title of most advanced agriculture in the world. Holland does not advertise so much, but manages to be, with its tiny area, bigger than Brazil in Agribusiness.

Its companies work silently developing technologies that we never dreamed could exist. The largest country in the world in agriculture, China, surprises with its gigantism and organization, since it is known that a good part of these 2 billion mouths will be on their lands or neighboring them.

The United States holds on as well as it can after the great development of seeds, which brought a fantastic growth in its productivity and with its satellites and autonomous equipment. Everyone is concerned with ensuring food safety, which is already a strategic priority in many countries.

What about Brazil? Brazil timidly positions itself among the big ones as it should. It holds the first position in the classification of largest exporter in several cultures, including being the largest producer of sugarcane in the world.

The State of São Paulo alone is larger than any single sugarcane producing country, with the exception of India. In grains, Brazil achieved fantastic productivity growth in the last two decades. Between the 1970s and 2020, soybean productivity grew by 207%. In the same period, sugarcane yield per hectare did not exceed 50%.

And why is Brazil shy about its agricultural leadership position in the world? Why does it focus on basic merchandise and not on industrialized products? Why is the great flow of trade concentrated in the great global negotiations, beyond the producers' control? Why does it not have advanced technology (yet) to face up to countries with technology or large investments in Research and Development? It really doesn't matter;

In the medium term, all non- monopolized technologies will be “democratically” accessible and available around the world: monitoring drones, biological pest controls, autonomous equipment, automated disease and weed control, precision agriculture and over a hundred new microdevelopments that will contribute intelligence, cost savings and more productivity in the field. It is a fact that all the technologies mentioned above and the others to come will be vital competitiveness tools for all crops in Brazil: soy, oranges, coffee, corn and sugarcane, to name some of the most important ones.

It is also a fact that productivity growth per hectare in sugarcane of “only” 50% in almost 30 years has stagnated for almost 20 years. Therefore, we are moving sideways, fluctuating between 70 and 80 tons per hectare of average in the sector. We didn't break that barrier.

There are two determining factors that have a strong impact on productivity: soil quality and São Pedro. Assuming that both are “given”, after planting we have no interference in these factors. Yes, we can, with adequate irrigation and nutrition, improve the condition of the soil a little, but nothing better than good rain at the right time in soil with edaphoclimatic conditions type A.

Therefore, according to the title of this article, what is the greatest technology in the world that will really make the difference for Brazil to face other countries and take the sugar-energy sector out of this stagnation of almost 20 years? The greatest technology is the most challenging, not only in Brazil, but worldwide.

Some countries have evolved a bit bypassing this technology, as the conditions in their locations were practically prohibitive from a cost point of view. The great factor that has always made the difference and will be the only differentiator in our sector to sustain the success of increasing productivity is our man in the field. With technologies available and accessible to everyone, our country people are the ones who are going to change the game and make the big difference.

There are no barriers to a planting front, cultural practices or engaged and motivated harvesting. Like every successful team, the leader is vital to assess and monitor the dynamics and make changes when necessary. What I am stating may seem obvious and commonplace, but I learned in the 18 harvests that I lived that the obvious in the sugar-energy sector is not obvious. I've seen a team that achieved poor results, with many conflicts, high turnover of people that, with the right leader, drastically changed behavior and results.

Obvious? I believe that if it were, this team would not have reached the point it has with mediocre results. A leader does not necessarily guarantee a winning team; and it can be the cause of a team that doesn't bring results. I can say that most country men want to do the right thing, are thirsty to learn more and suffer when something out of their reach goes wrong or worse, due to an order to execute something that is not technically correct.

Atvos is on an upward journey of productivity, going from 22 million tons to close to 30 million tons per year in the next harvest. This merit belongs entirely to the man in the field and his leaders, forming an engaged agricultural team that is powerfully capable of challenging adversity and overcoming difficulties. We left 42 tons per hectare and we will reach twice as much, 85 tons in 3 years.

All modern technologies are available. All agronomic techniques are accessible to everyone. But a man at the forefront with the will to make things happen is much more powerful and important to ensure the best possible results. Purpose with management is still the best way out.