Luciano Loman, from So Bernardo do Campo in Brazil, has been awarded a 2016 Nuffield International Scholarship, supported by TIAA-CREF Global Agriculture LLC and TIAA-CREF Global Agriculture II LLC which are managed by TIAA-CREF Asset Management.
He was selected from a field of excellent global applicants from the USA, Brazil, Australia and Poland. He will study farming and technology, with emphasis on creative technologic solutions that will fit the Brazilian agricultural industry.
Luciano is the founder and partner at Metos Brasil, a subsidiary of Pessl Instruments. He manages a team of people who provide creative solutions to assist farmers to increase their productivity, reduce costs, save water and manage resources.
"The nature of my business is to empower farmers and producers with reliable, real time DSS (Decision Support Systems) based on information about weather, disease and pests on the field" says Luciano.
"I have participated in the building and maintenance of different weather monitoring networks for early warning alerts and disease risk modelling, water balance and irrigation management via evapotranspiration and soil moisture sensors and localised weather forecasting.
"With my scholarship, I will look for inspiration in different parts of the world and bring knowledge, create and adapt simple solutions for farmers, as well as more complex tools for large and professionalised companies," he says.
In two years, Metos Brasil has installed around 600 weather stations and monitoring equipment in diverse agricultural areas in Brazil and he is looking forward to using his scholarship to study a wide range of technological advances.
"I will research irrigation management and drought fighting techniques in Australia, intensive glasshouse production systems in the Netherlands and visit India to study production and technology used in a country with very low labour costs," he says.
"Even though we have access to various technologies on the field, most are very expensive, imported, and many Brazilian farmers are still afraid of technology in general," he says.
"Really simple and practical information needs to be available at all times to allow smarter decisions in the field.
"My ultimate aim is to turn information into profit".
Luciano is a graduate Universidade de So Paulo as an Electronic Engineer and has completed Business Specialisation at St. Paul Business School - So Paulo.
He relishes new technology and new ideas and sees huge potential in Brazil to offer small farmers and families the opportunity to create simple and useful information solutions to empower then to make better decisions.
"I plan to adapt simple and affordable technological solutions that can be widespread amongst Brazilian producers, helping them to save resources and increase yield on a smarter agriculture model" he says.
"I will work in partnerships with local co-operatives and companies to implement technology systems for small producers to improve life conditions and also develop and market holistic solutions for weather, crop, pests and soils for larger scale farmers and groups."
To carry out his research, Luciano will travel to Australia, the USA, Russia, India, South Africa and the Netherlands.
This scholarship is kindly supported by TIAA-CREF Global Agriculture LLC and TIAA-CREF Global Agriculture II LLC which are managed by TIAA-CREF Asset Management.
