Brazil’s lack of dependable internet service in rural areas is an increasingly critical problem for farmers. It comes at a time when more agriculture equipment arriving on the market depends on modern telecommunications. Some pieces of equipment require the internet for computer software updates. These programs help the machinery operate at full capacity. Brazil’s agriculture industry has grown quickly over the past 10 years. This has put the country as a leader of food production worldwide. But problems involving technology and other infrastructure remain. This includes the issue of internet coverage. TIM Participaes is the Brazil-based business of Telecom Italia Spa, Italy’s largest telecommunications company. The business estimates that less than 10 percent of Brazilian farms have internet access. As a comparison, over 70 percent of farmers in the United States have access to high-speed internet.
