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Traceability, Technology, and Trade: EY's Otavio Lopes Talks Brazil’s Evolving Agri Landscape
In this conversation ahead of the World Agri-Tech South America Summit, Otavio Lopes, Partner at EY, highlights to our Conference Producer, Sahsa Forster, why Brazil is attracting increasing global attention.
Brazil’s growing influence in global agribusiness
A key driver, he says, is its predominance in the global supply of food, with strong export shares across major crops and animal protein.
Beyond scale, Brazil stands out for its openness to innovation – farmers are “very innovative” and willing to adopt new technologies, particularly as consolidation across larger operations creates fertile ground for rapid deployment. This combination of production power and technological readiness positions the country as a major focal point for agri-investment.
Global trade dynamics are accelerating the need for traceability and data-driven agriculture. Otavio points to regulatory pressures such as anti-deforestation requirements, where “transparency is the name of the game” and technologies like georeferencing and blockchain help prove compliance.
At the same time, producers are being pushed beyond commodity markets into premium segments – organic, sustainable, and antibiotic-free products – where verification is essential. These shifts, alongside emerging carbon markets, are turning sustainability into both a requirement and a revenue opportunity. In parallel, geopolitical disruptions are increasing the need for agile, data-enabled supply chains, where the speed of response “is the size of the opportunity or the size of the damage.”
While large producers may adapt quickly, ensuring smallholders are not left behind remains a central challenge. Otavio stresses that sustainability initiatives must be inclusive, noting that without support, smaller farmers often cannot meet new standards due to limited access to capital and technology.
Real-world examples show that overly rigid requirements can exclude much of the farming base, requiring adjustments and handholding to bring producers along. Solutions lie in public-private partnerships, standardized frameworks, and improved access to finance. Ultimately, small and medium farmers must elevate their governance and transparency to unlock better credit options, particularly those tied to sustainability, ensuring they can participate fully in the evolving global agricultural system.
Join the conversation
Otavio Lopes is one of the influential agri-food leaders on the World Agri-Tech speaker lineup. Be there in São Paulo on June 23-24, where 800+ investors, corporates, growers, policymakers, and innovators will unite to shape South America's role in feeding the world while cutting agricultural emissions.
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