Mendoza consolidates its position as a hub for knowledge-based companies in agriculture.

Thus, from the various perspectives from which it is possible to analyze and research local rural areas, groups of agricultural engineers and specialists from different areas of knowledge—such as oenology and viticulture —have managed to unite and consolidate their ventures.

For this very reason, its purpose is to apply science and technology to offer diagnostic, monitoring, and knowledge-generating services. In this context, the firm offers fourteen differentiated services throughout the year, tailored to the agricultural cycle. Projects revolve around frost zoning, the Hyperlocal Cold Hours ratio, and crop energy sustainability. Thus, year after year, the challenge—González Antivilo emphasized—is to advance the projections for agroindustrial companies and organizations seeking to professionalize their decision-making with concrete data.

While there has been a sustained growth in demand for specialized agricultural services in recent years , entrepreneurs dedicated to this field understand that this way of understanding agricultural production requires a change of perspective, but also a specific investment that is not always conceived as a solution that will later pave the way for more sustainable and/or profitable options in the medium and long term.

Furthermore, in many cases, this way of understanding production is still new for a large portion of the rural productive sector. In the case of Indegap, its growth has expanded to include a presence in seven provinces. This demonstrates that the demand for advisory services is growing as people understand the value of having specific and detailed information for planning and making economic decisions.

In general, what those requesting these services are looking for is to " differentiate themselves, reduce uncertainty, and optimize resources ," Antivilo said, acknowledging that this situation opens many doors for them.

Thus, companies and producers benefit from the knowledge provided by the groups of professionals who are united in the different projects and by these among themselves.

Among the most complex challenges these emerging knowledge-based companies have had to overcome is seasonality in the agricultural sector. In this regard, Antivilo emphasized that harvest seasons pose a challenge for his clients when considering their farms in the medium term . Added to this, the professional warns, is the country's economic context: to address this, services are diversified, proposals are adjusted, and the bond with those who already trust the professionals is strengthened.

Perhaps, experts emphasize, the biggest structural obstacle is cultural, because in Argentina's intensive agriculture, a logic for making decisions based on hard data still prevails, something that doesn't happen in other sectors of the industry. "A Formula 1 car has more than 300 sensors in just 10 m². They do it because they know it's profitable, not because they spend for the sake of spending," González Antivilo compared, adding that the "peak" working season is during the fall-winter season, when thermal mapping of frosts is carried out. " However, we have at least three services per station, which allows us to develop specific marketing campaigns for each time of year ," the specialist pointed out.

The benefits of having this specific data and the necessary advice allow, on the one hand, the producer to better understand his or her field and thus avoid errors and be able to make strategic decisions, such as defining how to protect against frost, which varieties to plant—in the case of grapes—or which areas are not suitable for cultivation.

“On the other hand, many producers appreciate that our work allows them to identify unseen opportunities. For example, one of our services allows them to identify areas with the best thermal potential during fruit ripening. In the case of grapevines, this allows for sectorized harvests that can lead to new, higher-value labels ,” explained the agricultural engineer.

With a view to advancing and expanding nationally, Indegap, for its part, aims to add new applied science projects, positioning the company under a SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) model. In fact, this past year, its representatives embarked on their first commercial exploration trip to Peru.

Agricultural engineer Silvina Grimalt and her colleague Anahí Soto Becerra are another example of knowledge entrepreneurship. Opuntia was born in 2017, when both took on the challenge of applying their knowledge and providing a service. “My story with Opuntia began after my time at INTA, where I learned a lot about plant protection thanks to agricultural engineer Violeta Becerra ,” Anahí commented, recalling that it was at that time that an agricultural input company asked her to conduct field trials. It was the first step toward finding an opportunity to establish herself within the market. She didn't hesitate to join her partner to fully dedicate herself to offering agronomic services. Today, she assures that, despite the challenges, they have managed to grow and consolidate themselves as a leading company in the sector.

Olive farm.

Olive farm.

In the specific case of Opuntia , the service is aimed at the agricultural sector , which in turn helps producers have a greater quantity of products on the market, such as biostimulants, fertilizers, insecticides, and herbicides, among others . Its services include field efficacy trials and comparative testing of agricultural and bioinputs in vineyards, fruit trees, and vegetables, all planned with Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) as the axis . "We also have a special service for wineries, where we help them find the best strategy for their vineyards," Soto clarified, adding that in order to successfully launch new agricultural inputs (insecticides, fungicides, and fertilizers) on the market, SENASA requires field efficacy trials with statistical support. This is precisely what his firm aims to do, as it is dedicated to the design, planning, and collection of data that is then processed and analyzed.

" With this, we prepare reports that help agricultural input companies validate and register these products ," the specialist emphasized.

Another path the entrepreneurs have taken based on their knowledge is the one comprised of wineries, with which they collaborate to provide a service that helps them solve various problems. "For example, finding the best strategy to improve fruit set, yield, or combat a pest or disease through trials that help determine the best alternative for vineyard management," Soto emphasized.

Demand for the services provided by Opuntia has also seen a steady increase, its owners stated. This is due to the trend toward more environmentally sustainable production. Soto explained that agroecology is gaining ground in the industry. Therefore, he clarified, biostimulants and bioinputs are products used to improve plant health and productivity, and their demand is increasing due to the growing concern among the population for the environment and the search for healthy and sustainable foods.

When referring to the obstacles that have arisen in recent months in the effort to sustain her business, Soto emphasized that among the most complex are inflation and economic changes, which, in combination, affect market stability and demand for services. " However, we have worked to adapt to these changes and maintain our competitiveness ," the agricultural engineer clarified, adding that in the case of the service she provides with her firm, clients highlight the quality and precision of her services, as well as her ability to help them make informed decisions about their products and strategies.

In that case, the peak season for work is the growing and harvesting of crops. “ It varies depending on the area's crops, which are mostly summer crops, beginning in spring and ending in early fall . For example, tomato, pepper, potato, peach, apple, grape, olive, and other crops,” Soto explained, adding that her business expectations for the coming months include continuing to grow and consolidate her position as a leading company in the agricultural sector. The firm currently has trials underway in the Cuyo and Northwest regions, although they plan to expand into provinces such as Río Negro and Córdoba. “ We are also planning to expand our services to new sectors, which will allow us to diversify our offerings and strengthen our market position ,” the agricultural engineer added.

Within viticulture, Methodum is another company seeking to establish its combination of innovation and precision agriculture, a concept that in modern times reinforces the idea of ​​planning through knowledge. Four members (agronomist and master's degree holder in viticulture and oenology Ricardo García, PhD in agronomy Natalia Carillo, agricultural engineer Leandro Moreno, and systems engineer Pablo Sarmiento) make up the team of professionals who joined forces five years ago with a common goal: to enter the market competitively and stay up-to-date with the demands of today's production sector.

In their case, one of the goals they achieved was developing a vineyard measurement methodology, using their own indices, that provide valuable information for making management decisions and investments on their farms. All of this is based on information from their analyses.

" There are three diagnostics throughout the crop cycle, based primarily on plant balance, the relationships of vigor and productivity determined by the environment, and the agroecosystem factors that affect them ," Moreno emphasized, clarifying that this makes it possible to provide grids with quantifiable values ​​year after year. Furthermore, among the services provided is specific zoning for each studied plot. This allows producers to work their plots in a differentiated manner.

Agricultural technology

When referring to the current demand for these services, Methodum highlighted that one of the toughest challenges relates to the economic and commercial situation of wine. " It's a very interesting service, applicable to any producer, but not everyone has the opportunity to access it. Even though it's not an expensive service, its great utility isn't taken into account, " Moreno said, agreeing with González Antivilo, referring to the importance of considering the cost/benefit aspect of hiring specialized consulting services.

In this case, professionals are currently developing soil indices to understand soil evolution, understand its relationship with the environment (soil microorganism relationship), and harness its potential by caring for it. Their services are generally sought by companies interested and/or able to work specifically on their plots, either to restore or improve their vigor or production.

Among the biggest obstacles that emerged this year, Moreno said, were the decline in wine consumption and the wine sales situation , which directly impacted the contracting of specific services. This situation even led many companies to reduce the amount of land they analyzed, and others to abandon monitoring.

However, Methodum clarified that the positive results derived from zoning using data extracted from field monitoring are highly valued by its clients. This is because the decisions they make when allocating more or less resources to different plots directly impact the results. In fact, with this methodology, Moreno emphasized, it is possible to be more sustainable, reduce costs, and increase vigor.

The methodology for this project consists of seven proprietary indices, separated into three stages: two indices in winter, where the key is to relate the vigor at the end of the previous season with the pruning intensity that should be applied to maintain a favorable balance for the plant. Two more indices in spring, which evaluate the speed of shoot growth and whether they are within or outside the variety's growth patterns, and three indices in summer. In this case, the methodology consists of defining the relationship between crop load (yearly production) and the vigor present in the current season. "In this way, we obtain zones with different characteristics for winemaking and more appropriate agronomic management," Moreno emphasized, clarifying that, in his case, the work intensity is sustained over time, although somewhat more adjusted in the spring.