The Laços do Agro platform, which connects small producers from 50 cities in Paraná to the consumer market, has just completed two years of operation, standing out as an essential tool for the integration of cooperatives and the promotion of sustainable growth of small rural producers. The initiative already envisions million-dollar revenue and significant improvements for the future.
The Brazilian agribusiness, responsible for 21.1% of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), is strongly driven by family farming. It is estimated that 5% of this total comes from the properties of small rural entrepreneurs, who supply fresh vegetables, ground coffee, and milk in small bottles. Data from Family Farming and Cooperativism reinforce the crucial role of these small farmers in the national economy.
In Paraná, the Laços do Agro platform has been essential in connecting the field to the buying market. The initiative, which brings together producers and cooperatives, shortens distances between production and buyers, facilitating inventory management, sales contracts, and delivery schedules.
“The Laços do Agro project has achieved excellent results, with the participation of more than 50 cities and over 700 producers who have downloaded the application. Additionally, more than 20 cooperatives are using the solutions offered by Laços do Agro to enhance production inventory management, sales contracts, and delivery schedules”, explains Leandro Scalabrin, CEO of the SWA group, a technology company based in Paraná, specializing in software development.
By 2024, Laços do Agro expects revenue to exceed R$ 3 million, with the goal of reaching 200 cooperatives and over 20,000 producers. “We are committed to improving our indicator panels to assist governments in developing public policies for family farming. With more precise and comprehensive data, we can provide relevant and updated information, enabling governments to make more assertive and effective decisions,” details Scalabrin.
Laços do Agro is a mobile-accessible platform that enhances efficiency, transparency, and communication among producers, cooperatives, and agricultural technicians. With features to manage sales contracts, track delivery schedules, and control payments, the platform allows for the identification of already marketed products, enabling interested farmers to express their desire to cultivate them.
“The clear and intuitive layout allows workers to clearly see their planned delivery dates and record each step of their production activities. The platform also alerts the cooperative about incidents that may affect delivery schedules,” says Scalabrin.
Agricultural technicians, together with Laços do Agro representatives, schedule visits, monitor production schedules and activities, generate individual visit reports, track contractual allocations and clients, and receive immediate notifications about any incidents in production. This streamlines the management of all stages of the production process.
“We aim to provide a guaranteed sale and empower small producers by placing them in larger markets. We want to show that you don’t have to be a giant producer to have security in the field and achieve good results,” celebrates Scalabrin.
History of Entrepreneurship
Leandro Scalabrin, son of rural producers, saw in the difficult situation faced by his family an opportunity to undertake and drive the development of the region where he lived, in Realeza, Paraná. With determination and vision, he started a new business that brought prosperity to his family and contributed to local economic growth.
“Each harvest brought the same challenges: will we sell? What will be the price? How to plan? Even though my parents were simple people from the countryside, they always encouraged us, me and my siblings, to study and learn. When I had the opportunity to go to the city for studies, these concerns always kept me up at night,” explains Scalabrin.
With studies completed and a background in technology, Scalabrin sought ways to turn field problems into solutions. “Today, we are certain that the platform brings together many small producers, makes them big, ensures product quality, and the certainty that the rural producer will commercialize every vegetable,” he emphasizes.
Laços do Agro continues to grow and consolidate as a vital tool for family agriculture in Paraná, promoting efficient integration between producers and the consumer market.
