At an event during Climate Week in New York on Monday (22), Valor brought the spotlight to one of today’s most pressing climate issues: how to scale up low-carbon, sustainable farming. The panel, titled “AgTech: How technology is transforming agriculture,” featured Julia Sekula, co-founder and CFO of Terradot; Gilberto Tomazoni, CEO of JBS; Zack Weatherspoon, director of sustainability at John Deere; and Natali Archibee, global director of sustainability at Mosaic.
The panelists’ main conclusion was that sustainable farming can move forward, particularly through productivity gains, but progress requires coordinated action across multiple players.
“I want to highlight the importance and potential of collective action toward this massive goal of restoring soils in Brazil. We are just one of many who will contribute to this target. But we need to involve academia, companies, implementation partners, technical experts, and other stakeholders,” said Ms. Archibee.
She emphasized that the fertilizer industry could significantly expand the potential for cultivating more land, including degraded areas. “When it comes to degraded lands, fertilizer technology has an important role in restoring productivity. We already have products that can help rebuild soil systems and improve yields,” she said.
Asked about the pace of research and adoption of biological fertilizers that are less harmful to soil and the environment, Ms. Archibee said some are already tested and commercially available, with proven ability to restore soil. This, she noted, brings two major benefits: environmental safety and farmer prosperity.
Mr. Weatherspoon highlighted advances in agricultural equipment designed to boost efficiency while cutting waste, reducing chemical use, and lowering costs. “We’re beginning to see the value of this technology: we can apply pesticides only where needed, reducing weed control costs and improving machine efficiency,” he said.
As an example, he cited ExactShot, a technology that applies fertilizer directly to each seed. “Beyond cutting costs, this technology reduces greenhouse gas emissions.” He also underscored connectivity challenges, pointing out that only 30% of Brazil’s agribusiness is currently connected. “We’ve partnered with Starlink to expand access and raise productivity in the same territories,” he added.
On innovation in fuels, Mr. Weatherspoon said John Deere is already testing ethanol-powered tractors in Brazil. But he stressed the challenge of scaling such solutions globally, since few countries have ethanol infrastructure comparable to Brazil’s. “We’re closely monitoring this, because it’s important to find quick solutions that deliver positive economic results,” he said.
He pointed to results already visible in pilot projects in Brazil and the United States. “On a 740-hectare corn and soybean farm, across multiple planting cycles, our solutions delivered cost reductions, higher revenue, and 40 kilograms in input savings. These kinds of gains show the positive impact of technology in the field,” he concluded.
Innovation was also the driver behind the creation of Terradot. According to Ms. Sekula, the company is turning the most powerful natural process of permanent carbon removal into a scalable climate solution through enhanced rock weathering (ERW). She explained that the startup is developing a high-integrity, scalable system for soil-based carbon sequestration, while encouraging sustainable farming practices. “We’re not just removing carbon from the atmosphere—we’re also transforming mining waste into a valuable resource and boosting agricultural productivity,” she said.
The technology uses magnesium- and calcium-rich rocks that, when crushed and spread on farmland, dissolve with rain and form bicarbonate, which usually is stored on the ocean floor.
For Ms. Sekula, there should be no trade-off between food security and climate security. “We need both. We’ve found a permanent solution, and the value of the carbon tonne is higher because of that. Geology is not just rock dust. Along with carbon capture, it delivers real benefits for farming,” she said.
She noted that Microsoft already purchases carbon credits from Terradot to offset its emissions. According to Ms. Sekula, the tech giant projects annual demand of 10 million tonnes of credits, which could double with the growth of artificial intelligence. “Our thesis is that we don’t have time to build entirely new supply chains—we must leverage existing infrastructure with our technology. Large industries like oil, gas, and mining already have the scale needed,” she added.
Ms. Sekula argued that Brazil has clear competitive advantages in this field but still struggles to turn science into business. She cited Embrapa’s rock dust research but stressed that most startups emerge from universities such as Stanford and Harvard, not in Brazil. “Brazil could benefit directly from these technologies but is poorly prepared. Too often, we miss opportunities despite having world-class science. My academic experience abroad allowed me to return and contribute, but we need to strengthen the link between research and innovation,” she concluded.
Despite today’s geopolitical, macroeconomic, trade, and climate challenges, Ms. Archibee of Mosaic believes that “even amid chaos,” innovation remains crucial. “We’re in a moment where innovation is imperative, and industry is bringing it to market—but the pace of innovation tends to outstrip regulatory change,” she noted. For her, close collaboration between the private sector and government is essential to advance the innovations already in development.
