Agri-Pulse & Apex-Brasil to host AgriTalks, free webinar on green tech in agribusiness for a sustainable future

Agri-Pulse is pleased to announce a December 1 webinar titled, “AgriTalks Brazil/USA – Green technologies in agribusiness for a sustainable future.” This complimentary 90-minute program is part of a webinar series created by Apex-Brasil. It includes the participation of high-level Brazilian and U.S. spokespersons, including ministers, CEOs and others.

“Countries around the world are looking for ways to showcase their sustainability efforts and attract new innovations and technology into their markets,” says Agri-Pulse Editor Sara Wyant. “This webinar will enable a closer look at how Brazilian leaders are trying to position themselves for the future.”

Agri-Pulse Senior Trade Editor Bill Tomson will serve as moderator for the event on December 1 at 11 a.m. EST. Registration for the webinar is free. You can sign up by clicking on this link.

The webinar starts at 11 a.m. EST and is organized by Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc. and Apex-Brasil. The event is also supported by Brazil-U.S. Business Council, Embassy of Brazil Washington D.C., EMBRAPA (Brazilian Agricultural Corporation) and the Brazilian Government: Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications (MCTI) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE).

“AgriTalks Brazil/USA” will consist of two panel discussions. The first will cover green agriculture policies and investments in Brazil and U.S. The second will discuss Agritech: startups and the innovation bridge. You can sign up for this free webinar by clicking on this link.

Speakers include:

Ambassador Nestor Forster Jr., Embassy of Brazil in Washington D.C. 

As a diplomat, he served in Canada, Costa Rica, and the United States, where he was posted three times to the Embassy in Washington, as well as to the Brazilian consulates in Hartford (CT) and New York (NY). Forster was posted twice to the Office of the President of Brazil (1990–92 and 2002), having also served as chief of staff at the Office of the Attorney General. Born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 1963, Ambassador Forster graduated from the Brazilian Diplomatic Academy (Instituto Rio Branco) in 1986.

Minister of Agriculture Tereza Cristina Corrêa da Costa Dias 

Teresa Cristina is the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply of Brazil since January 2019. Cristina received one of the greatest acknowledgments of her work as a legislator in 2018, when she won in the category "Best Congressperson" during the 11th Edition of the Congress in Focus Award, an accolade bestowed by a media agency dedicated to covering the National Congress. She was among the top-10 rated members of the House and praised as the lead defender of Brazilian agribusiness, also winning in the category "Animal and Plant Health" that same year. She secured a second 4-year term in the Brazilian House of Representatives during the 2018 general election. As a lawmaker, she was President of the “Frente Parlamentar da Agricultura” (Agriculture Caucus), the largest cross-party group in defense of Brazilian agribusiness.

Eduardo Brito Bastos, Head of Sustainability Latam, Bayer Crop Science 

Eduardo Bastos is the Latin America Sustainability Director for Bayer. He is also the leader of the Sustainability Committee and Board Member of ABAG, Member of the Coalition - Forest, Climate and Agriculture and Board Member at COSAG / FIESP. Bastos has almost 25 years of career, always linked to sustainability, agribusiness and the chemical sector. He is an Agronomist Engineer who graduated at ESALQ / USP, with MBA in Business Management (FDC) and Marketing (FGV).

Cléber Soares, Deputy Secretary for Innovation, Rural Development and Irrigation, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply of Brazil

Cléber Oliveira Soares is a researcher at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation -EMBRAPA. Previously, he was Director for Agricultural Innovation at the Secretariat of Innovation, Rural Development and Irrigation at the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply of Brazil (2020 to 2021). Soares holds a Veterinary Medicine degree from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (1996). He received his Master's degree in Veterinary Parasitology from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (1998) and Ph.D. in Veterinary Sciences from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (2002).

Jeremy Adamson, Policy Advisor, USDA FAS

Jeremy Adamson was appointed Policy Advisor in the Office of the Administrator for the Foreign Agricultural Service in the U.S. Department of Agriculture in March 2021. Prior to that, Adamson spent over a decade working directly with growers, agricultural retailers, supply channels, distributors, cooperators, COIs, and marketing agencies. Most recently he served as the Global Portfolio Manager for Certis Biologicals, a global manufacturer and distributor of biopesticides. Prior to that, Adamson held roles in account management and market development with Corteva Agrisciences (formerly Dow AgroSciences). He started his career with Nutrien (formerly Crop Production Services) where he worked directly with corn, soybean, and wheat growers in Northern Indiana as a Crop Consultant and Plant Health and Nutrition Specialist. Adamson is a native of Merrillville, Indiana and is a graduate of Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science in the college of Agricultural Economics. 

Larissa Wachholz, Executive Director, FLORA Capital 

Larissa Wachholz is the Executive Director of Flora Capital, a financial advisory and investment firm dedicated to the agriculture sector. She was a special advisor to the Brazilian Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply until July 2021. She has worked in the areas of infrastructure, energy and agribusiness throughout her career. Wachholz is a business executive very experienced in the Chinese market, having lived in China between 2008 and 2013. Graduated in international affairs, she holds a master's degree in Contemporary China Studies from Renmin University of China.

Rodrigo Mendes, Innovation Executive Director, ANPROTEC

Rodrigo Mendes is a consultant for start-up and innovation ecosystems internationalization. He is Director of International Relations at ANPROTEC – National Association of Entities Promoting Innovative Enterprises. Mendes is the Former President of the Latin American Division of the IASP - International Association of Science Parks. Mendes is co-founder of the Sorocaba Technology Business Incubator.

Dr. Guy de Capdeville, Vice-President, EMBRAPA

Guy de Capdeville’s experience is in agronomy, focusing on phytopathology, acting on the following subjects: Plant x Pathogen interaction, induced resistance mechanisms in post-harvest of fruit, Plant Cytogenetics (focus on fluorescent in situ hybridization for mapping genes on meiotic chromosomes) and development of microscopy techniques for supporting functional genomics. Capdeville received his degree in agronomy from Universidade Federal de Viçosa (1992), a master’s degree in Plant Pathology from Universidade Federal de Viçosa (1996) and a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from Cornell University (2001).

Diego Di Martino, Latam Sustainability Manager, ADM

Diego di Martino has 22 years working with agricultural commodities in different positions for a global company. His latest endeavor has been implementing the ESG agenda in Latin America for ADM. Martino has led prospection and implementation of projects, operations of assets, administrative and commercial positions, represented the company/sector in different class associations, engaged in multiple multi-stakeholder sustainability initiatives to discuss ways to improve supply chains. Martino has a Bachelor of Science in agronomics (ESALQ – USP).

Danny O’Brien, Managing Director of EMEA,SVG Thrive

Danny O’Brien is the Managing Director of Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at THRIVE where he is responsible for leading the expansion in the region, connecting with partners and identifying disruptive startups who are positively changing our food system. O’Brien sits on the Advisory Board of the International School of Agri-Management (ISAM) in Spain where he also teaches Entrepreneurship. He has a particular interest in emerging markets where he sees the potential of Agri-Food Tech to transform the lives of at-risk communities. He holds a Master’s Degree in Marketing Practice from the Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School (UCD) and a Bachelors of Business Studies from DCU.

Francisco Jardim, CEO, SP VENTURE  

Francisco Jardim is co-founder and managing partner at SP Ventures (SPV), a leading firm in the agritech venture capital segment across Latin America. He has led more than 34 investments and has served on more than 20 boards of directors in this sector. Currently, he is on the board of some of the most dynamic companies leading the digital transformation and the new leap in productivity in the continent's agribusiness. Jardim’s mission is to guarantee the planet’s food security through a sustainable and fair agribusiness chain.

Tiago Vicente, Head of Communication, Institutional and Government Relations, Apex-Brasil

Tiago de Moraes Vicente's main role is to support the Presidency in enhancing and maintaining the channels of communications within the Government and among the other Powers of the Brazilian Republic and foreign governments with close focus to bring new partnerships for Brazilian and international companies with the scope of attracting more investment to Brazil and to consolidate and improve new frontiers for Brazilian companies to export. Vicente graduated in International Relations from UnB.

Registration for the webinar is free, sign up by clicking on this link.

About Agri-Pulse: Agri-Pulse is the most trusted source for agricultural, food and rural policy information in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento, Calif., providing a balanced perspective on a wide variety of issues including the farm bill, nutrition, trade, labor, food safety, water, environment, biotechnology, organic, conservation and crop insurance. Agri-Pulse publishes a subscription-only e-newsletter, the Agri-Pulse Daily Harvest early morning news summary, Agri-Pulse Daybreak, Agri-Pulse DriveTime podcast, and breaking news on www.Agri-Pulse.com.