Toward the Establishment of a Digital Agriculture Infrastructure Through Japan-Brazil Collaboration – “Final CoPADi Workshop” Held (April 2026)
On April 1, 2026, the “Final CoPADi Workshop” was held in a hybrid format at Japan House in São Paulo and via Zoom (online). The workshop brought together project stakeholders and industry partners from Brazil and Japan for presentations and lively discussions on the technical achievements of the CoPADi API and the consortium’s vision for building a data ecosystem.
1. Opening Remarks: Advancing Agricultural Cooperation and Food Security
The workshop commenced with opening remarks from Dr. Marconcini, Embrapa Instrumentation. He highlighted the long history of agricultural cooperation between Brazil and Japan, including the PRODECER project with JICA, and emphasized the role of food security as a vital pillar for world peace. Dr. Marconcini noted that the CoPADi project represents a new milestone in precision and digital agriculture, strengthening the innovation ecosystem and sustainability of Brazilian agribusiness.
2. Presentations: CoPADi API Technical Architecture and Consortium Model
The technical session featured three key presentations on project outcomes and future developments:
Context of the CoPADi API (Dr. Speranza, Embrapa Digital Agriculture): Drawing insights from international initiatives such as AgData Transparent in the US, WAGRI in Japan, and Embrapa’s AgroAPI, Dr. Speranza presented the foundational concept of the CoPADi API. The platform aims to provide a safe, trustworthy environment for producers to store, share, and validate machinery data, creating value across farmers, AgTechs, cooperatives, research institutions, and industry partners.
System Architecture and Integration (Mr. Douglas & Mr. Ruben, DMX): The DMX team presented a clean, scalable architecture featuring an Integration Hub and adapters for system integration with partners like Jacto EKOS and Agri Info Design, as well as an Audit API. The design prioritizes data privacy and producer data ownership at every level.
CoPADi Consortium Proposal (Dr. Inamasu, Embrapa Instrumentation): Dr. Inamasu introduced the operational and legal guidelines for establishing the "CoPADi Consortium". Designed as a sustainable agricultural data ecosystem, the consortium aims to safely store data, distribute maintenance and infrastructure costs among participants, and transition from an initial launching phase using Embrapa resources to a scalable cloud-based business model.
3. Panel Discussion: Sustainable Data Sharing and Overcoming Industry Bottlenecks
The discussion segment featured valuable insights from prominent industry leaders and experts:
Data Governance and Security: Ms. Isabela Gaya (ABDI) discussed learnings from the Agro Data Space study, pointing out the necessity for national governance maturity and secure data sharing environments for producers.
Interoperability and Specific Use Cases: Mr. José Loyola (AgGateway) stressed that addressing interoperability challenges requires starting with targeted value chains (such as cotton) or cooperatives for Proof of Concept (PoC) testing.
Capacity Building & Developer Ecosystem: Mr. Maurício Netto (CTIAD) highlighted the technical hurdles in agribusiness software development and proposed parallel educational initiatives for agribusiness developers.
Empowering Small Producers: Dr. Hamada (Agri Info Design) and Dr. Inamasu explored sustainable monetization models where larger players or downstream supply chain links absorb technology costs, ensuring small and medium producers can benefit without financial strain.
Data Quality and Climate Resilience: Dr. Marconcini underscored that proper equipment calibration and high-quality data collection are critical for effective decision-making and adapting to complex climate changes in Brazil.
Outlook and Next Steps
Moving forward, Embrapa will launch an open call for institutions to join the CoPADi Consortium during its incubation phase. Through continued open innovation and cross-border collaboration between Brazil and Japan, the project aims to establish a transparent, data-driven ecosystem for sustainable agriculture.
