Winning solution will be used in other areas of risk, such as bird flu
Modulo Security Risk Manager, a software program for IT risk assessment, compliance, and knowledge management developed by Brazilian information security leader Modulo Security, was the winner of the Southeastern phase of the FINEP Technological Innovation Award 2006 in the Product category. The prize was received on September 20, in Vitória, Brazil. Since 1998, the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology has organized the FINEP award, which is divided into seven categories. The award acknowledges and promotes innovation in several areas.
In order to enter the competition, Modulo presented the case "Risk Management in the Fight Against the Foot-to-Mouth Disease", developed with the Data Processing Center of the State of Mato Grosso - CEPROMAT and the Farming Defense Institute of the State of Mato Grosso - INDEA. Modulo Security Risk Manager was customized for use with agribusiness, and used a knowledge base developed jointly with Indea.
"It was an important victory for us, since the award involves all industrial sectors. Among the 125 products running in the Product category for the Brazilian Southeastern region, we have won with a product that is unique around the world. It was a victory resulting from the joining of forces and knowledge. We automated the risk management model, Indea provided the knowledge base and Cepromat performed the integration", said Fernando Nery, founding partner of Modulo Security.
Next Steps
The development of technology for risk management in the agribusiness field is still limited. Modulo Security used its risk management experience in the information technology field to create an innovative solution for managing risks in agribusiness, in order to fight the foot-to-mouth disease.
The foot-to-mouth disease issue is only one of the aspects in the process of managing agribusiness risks. In the future, the idea is to perform risk assessments and other areas of agribusiness, soybean rust, cotton boll weevil, and control of animal diseases, such as the bird flu.
Partnerships have already been established to implement an automated system for evaluating compliance based on the international food safety protocols, including good farming practices and social-environmental responsibility aspects, as well as for meeting the requirements regarding the EurepGAP Protocol and the food quality and safety standards demanded by the international market. By meeting these standards, producers will be able to improve profitability and increase their income.
"We are conducting research to expand this project applied to agribusiness in order to meet the good international practices in the farming field, as well as social-environmental responsibility aspects, which are factors that could jeopardize the international credibility and acceptance of the Brazilian farming sector", explains Fernando Nery.
Innovative Project
This pioneer project enabled a risk management solution to support the fight against the foot-to-mouth disease in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, one of Brazil's main exporters of beef.
The solution allowed the Brazilian government to analyze the sanitary status of the farming establishments, providing input for decision-making regarding treatment of risks, and compliance with the current legislation and with requirements and standards in both the national and the international markets, particularly those set forth by the European Union, its main consumer market.
The first ones to feel the benefits of the project are the farmers and rural workers from the state of Mato Grosso, who can now use Modulo Security Risk Manager to diagnose their level of exposure to the foot-to-mouth virus and other sanitary and production aspects throughout the farming chain.
Then, the entire farming defense network led by Indea/MT, including technical managers, veterinarians, and farm engineers, can have access to these analyses and evaluate the critical areas in each establishment, viewing how cattle farmers are implementing best practices, creating risk indexes for properties, and reducing the possibility of contamination by plagues and diseases. If they achieve good results, cattle farmers may receive a seal of compliance which will allow them to compete in more demanding markets and gain the confidence of international importers regarding the quality of Brazilian cattle.