Challenges

As part of the strategic effort to modernize and streamline Brazil’s Agricultural Protection Plan, the focus is on addressing key issues related to transforming the Secretariat of Agricultural Protection (SDA) into an results-oriented organization. The aim is to meet clients’ needs efficiently and effectively. This strategic focus includes several key initiatives:

• the introduction of new administrative support tools geared toward achieving tangible results;
• institutional adjustments and the creation of new organizational units; and
• the development of the Agricultural Management Platform (PGA).

The overarching goal is to promote and implement agricultural protection programs and measures that contribute to the sustainable growth of the Brazilian agroindustry, safeguarding life, human and animal health, the environment, food security, and market access.

Toward a Solution

The Agricultural Management Platform (PGA) aims to enhance food security in Brazil to generate income and employment, and reduce social inequality. Achieving these goals requires research, policy formulation, and strategy development to assist the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA) in fulfilling its responsibilities to Brazilian society. This initiative aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 12, emphasizing responsible production and consumption. The PGA serves as a centralized database (BDU in Portuguese) for managing various aspects of the Brazilian agroindustry and streamlining strategic management.

Efforts are directed towards modernizing existing modules of the platform through advanced technology, as well as tintegrating administrative systems from the Plant Health Department to enhance product traceability and disease control during plant transportation. The overarching objective is to create a unified information channel among various administrative systems, fostering information consistency, and facilitating cross-referencing across different stages of the agricultural chain. This enhances transparency, credibility in agricultural protection activities, and supports the analysis of emerging issues and strategic decision-making.

In addition to the centralized database, the platform also includes management systems for the Department of Inspection of Animal Products, the Department of Animal Health and the Coordination Office of Traceability Systems, with respect to the management information service modules of the Federal Inspection Services, animal movement and traceability. In addition to providing information about the agriculture sector, such as the number of animals in each Federal division (states and municipalities), the PGA enables the controlled use of unique identification codes for different animal species and will facilitate individual traceability of cattle. Producers will be able to conduct a search on the data platform about the area of their properties, the inventory of animals, entry and exit transit documents and the vaccines that have been administered.

The PGA’s BDU system empowers MAPA to efficiently manage agricultural protection, supporting strategic planning and public policies aligned with its mission of ensuring food security, income generation, and reducing social inequality. It also aids in integrating information from diverse sources to facilitate national and international food trade, contributing to food security and disease control in animals and plants. The PGA’s replicable model has the potential to benefit other countries and can be a source of inspiration for similar initiatives worldwide, endorsed by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) Center for Knowledge Management and Horizontal Cooperation.