Michael recently achieved ‘platinum’ status in recognition of meeting 100% of the 3S recommendations. The programme covers a wide range of practices for sustainable farm management, including soil and waste management, proper storage and application of agrochemicals, environmental management, and health and safety.
In his office, Michael explains how he saw the 3S programme as an opportunity to formalize and structure the good practices his company was already implementing. For example, having a designated area for the storage of pesticides, having an artesian well to pump water from the underground aquifer, and having all employees registered with the IPS (Social Security Institute).
The 3S programme is built on an approach of continual improvement that is adapted to each farm. A novice producer may need to begin by building warehouses based on the regulations of the National Service for Plant and Seed Quality and Health (SENAVE) or improving health and safety practices. To achieve platinum status, producers have to demonstrate technology adoption and increased productivity.
Michael highlights the importance of the program’s continual improvement approach.
“Change takes time, resources, and a whole other set of skills that only producers know. And having the ability to understand and accept this, is often the difference between continuing the process or not.”
“3S practices complement our work, they advise us, and help us improve what was missing. It saved us a lot of time in the process.”
Sustainable Supply Solutions (3S) is Cargill’s programme that promotes good practices in grain production to achieve continual improvement in efficiency and sustainability. Solidaridad supports the implementation of 3S among 57 families in the departments of Itapúa, Alto Paraná, Caaguazú, Caazapá and Canindeyú, as part of the global alliance between Cargill and Solidaridad.
Reducing the Risk of Accidents
One of the aspects the company incorporated through the 3S programme was ongoing safety training for its employees. Although the staff initially resisted some practices, they eventually began to take more care in their daily tasks.
“Thank God, we haven’t had any accidents, but we observed [among staff] a lack of care that we considered basic. Now awareness has been raised,” says Michael.
Some of the best practices are simple, such as to avoid drinking “tereré” (cold yerba mate drink) while handling chemicals. Other practices are more involved, such as properly inspecting the equipment used to transport bulk products and identifying preventable risks.
Another topic addressed was the use of safety signage and the proper completion of safety records.
“Signage on a producers’ farms plays a fundamental role in safety with warnings about access regulations, dangerous areas, and instructions on the proper use of agrochemicals. It helps prevent accidents and ensure a safer work environment for both workers and outsiders entering the farm.”
Yamila Seniuzska, Solidaridad Field Coordinator in Paraguay
Market and production benefits
At the market level, Michael sees how sustainability adds value to his business, and how it creates trust and confidence among suppliers, clients and service providers.
“If we are more efficient in what we do, people will have a better return on investment, right? So, we see more options, more proposals, more flexibility coming,” Michael says.
The programme also encourages them to seek ecologically viable alternatives in the market for inputs. “When we joined 3S, we used 45% biological products, and now we’ve increased our portfolio to 75-80%, and for insecticides, we use 90% less toxic products.” The company also sees a promising future in the production of natural inoculants.
Technological innovation is a pillar to improve efficiency and use fewer agrochemicals.
“We invested 30,000 US dollars in our sprayer just in software and hardware equipment to improve efficiency, but that means we’ve spent 6% less on pesticides since.”
Generational turnover
Unlike many people, the Dávalos family migrated from the city to the countryside in search of promising job prospects. The company’s president, his father, is an economist; his brother is an agronomist; Michael is an agricultural engineer; his sister is a veterinarian; and his younger brother is about to graduate with a degree in industrial engineering. The entire family is betting on agriculture as a fully technical, fully entrepreneurial field for success and achieving it.
“The countryside isn’t for people who want to do things quickly. It’s built over generations. It’s a step-by-step construction. We often say that the producer is the entrepreneur of the future. What you produce now, what you earn now, it needs to be saved until you see how things go with the upcoming harvest and the winter, only then you can use it,” explains Michael.
“Sometimes you have good years and sometimes you lose as much as 70% of your crop because you have a drought or whatever. You have to work with those variations. So, it’s slower. And within that, of course, you have to live, you have to grow.”
Michael and his family know that if you don’t work hard, the business won’t sustain itself. That’s why the family strategy is to diversify its assets and keep working.
“It’s very challenging, but if you like a challenge, farming is the answer.”