Brazil boosts family farming and agri‑tech with seed‑treatment startup and grain project

Young agronomist João Maccori Barboza turned a high‑school science project into the Dioxd startup, which uses a six‑gas compound to treat soybean, bean, corn, cotton and wheat seeds, delivering up to 12% higher yields. The company now serves 580,000 hectares, 160 producers across more than ten Brazilian states and aims to expand to Paraguay and the United States. Barboza was named to Forbes Under 30.

In the metropolitan region of Campinas, family farmers such as Victória Vasconcelos and José Victor Betancur face market pressure and limited public support, struggling to earn the roughly R$ 4,000 needed monthly to sustain their organic vegetable production.

The municipality of Nioaque runs a Food Acquisition Programme that channels R$ 442,000 to 48 family farmers, providing monthly food supplies to about 390 vulnerable families and showcasing a model for rural income and food‑security.

Roraima’s Projeto de Grãos, coordinated by IATER, targets nearly 3,000 producers—both family and indigenous—cultivating 3,000 ha of corn and beans. Technical assistance, climate monitoring and extension services aim to strengthen production, generate income and improve food security in the state.