Last year I took part in a technical mission to Porto Digital [Digital Port] in Recife, a city in the Northeast of Brazil. I got to know the large technological space because I am a successor in the countryside—in my case, as the daughter and granddaughter of rural producers—and I am part of the Academia de Sucessores [Successor Academy] — Generations, an initiative of Banco do Brasil. The trip was curated by the Instituto Brasileiro de Governança Corporativa [Brazilian Institute of Corporate Governance, IBGC], with the participation of PwC Brazil, and is part of a set of the bank’s initiatives that aim to strengthen succession and promote a strong relationship with its customers.
Porto Digital was launched in Recife after the city witnessed a “brain drain” in the 2000s. The brightest minds in technology were leaving Brazil and being hired by technology companies worldwide. Meanwhile, the historic city center was deteriorating, and the violence rates were increasing. A very urban reality but one that relates to the challenges of succession on Brazilian farms.
I chose to continue the work of those who came before me. However, will is not enough to inspire young farmers to enter the succession path. Training new successors and avoiding the “brain drain” are actions that involve important pillars that I could envision in Porto Digital: people, businesses, and territories.
The state government faced this challenge by creating a public policy that encouraged innovation and knowledge. The pioneers of Porto Digital came together in an ecosystem of software development and IT services. And two decades have passed. Such a story could also have the Brazilian countryside as a background.
People
For Porto Digital’s project to succeed, the group partnered with educational institutions, companies, and the government. Today, the Park has more than 14 thousand employees, with the view of increasing to 20 thousand by 2025. When I bring this example to my reality, I remember a motto that never fails: good people attract good people.
A well-done succession involves relationships that challenge, drive, instigate, and provoke us to grow together. Quality education in the countryside would be essential to keep people motivated. I would love to hear young people saying, “My dream is to work on the farm, so I will have to study hard.”
Businesses
Keeping people in Porto Digital’s city involved the creation of suitable working conditions and promoting an attractive environment for large companies. By 2022, the Park had more than 350 companies. In 2021, it had revenues of R$ 3.67 billion, a 28% growth compared to the previous year.
And what do farms have to do with this? We, farmers, must see ourselves as rural entrepreneurs. Many heirs are not interested in keeping the farm, questioning whether they can make a living from it. We must think about business diversification and ways to increase value capture.
Territories
It is in the tangible space that the virtual element is strengthened. The Porto Digital revolution goes through territory valuing, revitalized buildings, and pedestrian spaces. And this has everything to do with the countryside. Infrastructure and access are major challenges for Brazilian farmers.
Rural producers cannot remain isolated from the world. We must improve roads and ensure stable electric power, internet, and security. Connectedness strengthens communities and the spirit of collaboration, which also favors business opportunities. Taking care of our territory, including our homes, is a symbol of affection, of saying that we care and that we feel good living in that place.
Rural producers cannot remain isolated from the world. We must improve roads and ensure stable electric power, internet, and security. Connectedness strengthens communities and the spirit of collaboration, which also favors business opportunities. Taking care of our territory, including our homes, is a symbol of affection, of saying that we care and that we feel good living in that place.
Although these are essential actions, advancing governance and training people to become rural producers are not enough for succession in the countryside. It is also necessary to understand the significance of creating ecosystems that develop people, foster businesses, and take care of the territories so that successors can envision the countryside as a place where they can fulfill their potential.
Ana Carolina Zimmermann is a Brazilian Farmer and the winner of the CNA Youth Program.