Brazil, one of the world’s leading agricultural nations, is extending its expertise beyond Earth. The 1st International Symposium on Space Agriculture, held October 14โ16, 2025, at the PIT โ Parque de Inovaรงรฃo Tecnolรณgica Sรฃo Josรฉ dos Campos, brought together researchers, space agencies, and industry leaders to explore how Brazilian agritech can support sustainable food production for future space missions and strengthen food systems on Earth.
Organized by Embrapa, in partnership with the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB/MCTI), the symposium is part of Brazil’s growing participation in the Artemis Accords.
๐๐๐ฒ 1 โ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
The symposium opened with a focus on Brazil’s role in global space exploration. A keynote lecture on “Challenges and Opportunities of Space Exploration” was delivered by Ivair Gontijo of NASA JPL. Then a session on “Brazil in Space: Contributions and Perspectives in the Artemis Accords Context” explored how Brazil’s agricultural strengths can contribute to the Artemis Accords in the area of Space Farming.
๐๐๐ฒ 2 โ ๐๐ซ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก
Brazilian researchers presented contributions addressing the fundamental challenges of cultivating plants beyond Earth. Sessions examined how cosmic radiation, microgravity and extreme temperatures affect plant health, crop development, and food production in extraterrestrial environments. Scientists explored how these space conditions influence plant physiology and growth patterns, while also considering an unexpected opportunity: the potential for the space environment to induce beneficial mutations in plants, generating new genetic variability that could lead to improved crop varieties for both space missions and Earth-based agriculture.
๐๐๐ฒ 3 โ ๐๐ข๐๐ซ๐จ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฌ, ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐
Researchers presented findings on the role of microorganisms in space agriculture, examining how cosmic radiation and microgravity affect soil microbiota associated with crops such as chickpea and sweet potato. A panel also shared experiences in sending biological experimentsโincluding plants and seedsโto microgravity conditions, highlighting observable differences in growth patterns and development compared to controlled Earth-based studies.
The symposium represents more than an exchange of ideasโit establishes a foundation for ongoing collaboration between Brazilian researchers, international space agencies, and industry partners. The challenge ahead lies in translating research progress into practical systems that can sustain human presence beyond Earth, while ensuring these innovations create tangible benefits for agriculture on Earth.
๐๐ซ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ ๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ง ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ก
