Canadian agritech companies seek expansion opportunities in São Paulo

By Elton Alisson  |  FAPESP Innovative R&D – Over the next two months, technicians from Clean Seed, a Canadian equipment manufacturer, will be in Brazil testing the performance of a high-precision seeder in the country’s fields. Designed to plant a wide variety of grains, such as rice, wheat, soybeans, corn, and cotton, the equipment promises to reduce fertilizer use and seed waste.

According to the company’s engineers, the no-till planting capability of the machine allows for seeding directly into compacted rice paddy residues. This eliminates the need to burn the straw. Additionally, the technology enables substantial water savings and reduces emissions of greenhouse gases typically associated with traditional rice transplanting, a process in which seedlings grown in nurseries are planted manually or mechanically in flooded fields.

“We want to test the equipment on Brazilian soil and are seeking partners and collaborators to join and expand our operations in the country,” said Ailton Schoemberger, a company representative, at the São Paulo-Canada AgriTech Matchmaking event held on February 23 at FAPESP.

The meeting brought together 17 Canadian agritech companies and four Brazilian ones supported by FAPESP’s Innovative Research in Small Businesses Program (PIPE), with the aim of strengthening collaboration in agricultural innovation between Canada and the state of São Paulo.

São Paulo is considered a strategic partner for Canada because it is home to the largest number of science- and technology-based startups (deep techs) in Brazil. These startups primarily operate in the agriculture and food sector. This information is included in the Deep Tech Radar Latam 2025 report, which was prepared by the consulting firm Emerge in partnership with Cubo Itaú and released in September 2025 (read more at pesquisaparainovacao.fapesp.br/3791).

According to the authors of the study, this focus reflects a regional vocation marked by competitive agribusiness, positioning the region in areas of direct impact on society and global food security.

“São Paulo is a hub of scientific production in Brazil, as well as a global reference in agribusiness, biotechnology, and applied research. We see tremendous opportunities for collaboration in areas such as sustainable agriculture, precision agriculture, smart climate technologies, digital solutions, and food security,” stated Joanne Lemay, Canadian Consul General in São Paulo, during the event.

Paulo Schor, the Foundation’s research manager for innovation, noted that most of the agritechs that have emerged in São Paulo’s innovation ecosystem receive support from PIPE-FAPESP.

“Over time, the program has seen an increase in projects near the Bandeirantes and Anhanguera highways, which connect the state capital to major universities in the interior of the state. Furthermore, these highways form part of the sugarcane route in São Paulo. Therefore, it’s no surprise that we have several PIPE projects related to this topic,” Schor noted.

Profile of agritechs

According to Marcela Marini, a senior grains and oilseeds analyst at Rabobank, a Dutch bank focused on the agri-food sector, most agritech companies in Brazil operate directly “inside the farm,” offering solutions for agricultural management, input control, automation, and environmental monitoring. Another significant portion (39.9%) focuses on the “post-farm” sector, providing solutions for logistics, distribution, processing, packaging, and marketing – connecting production to the end consumer.

Around 18.6% of companies focus on the “pre-farm” sector, offering technologies for purchasing inputs, machinery, and accessing credit. “Brazilian farmers are very interested in technological solutions. If that means better operational or financial results, they readily adopt new technologies,” Marini highlighted.

The expert noted that some of the topics that have attracted the most interest from Brazilian agritechs are productivity technologies, operational intelligence, and solutions for sustainable agriculture. Canadian agritechs, on the other hand, have stood out in areas such as precision agriculture, controlled-environment agriculture, robotics, automation, biotechnology, plant-based proteins, and low-carbon agricultural technologies.

Crop Vue Technologies, for example, is a startup that has developed technology to identify insects in the field and predict infestations. This helps producers make informed decisions about applying pesticides. “We’re in Brazil seeking partners to conduct field tests, as well as producers interested in using our equipment in their operations,” said Amy Jancewicz, the president of the company, which has operated in over 20 countries.

Validation in Brazil

Event participants noted that agritech companies from São Paulo can help Canadian firms validate their solutions in Brazil. For example, Spectrum developed an environmental monitoring platform with support from PIPE-FAPESP that combines sensors, low-cost connectivity, and data processing to generate strategic information directly from the field.

“In today’s agriculture, data is everywhere: satellites, models, dashboards, and artificial intelligence. But obtaining reliable, continuous data at the field level remains one of the biggest challenges, especially in vast and diverse agricultural regions like those in Brazil,” explained Cynthia Cristina Martins Junqueira, the company’s research and development manager.

“We’re available to international companies seeking reliable field data, scalable connectivity, or a trusted partner to validate and deploy their technologies in real agricultural environments,” Junqueira stated.