Then and Now: 120 Bioeconomy Pioneers look at yesterday, today, inspirations and challenges

Rodrigo Ritter

Then: On July 2007 I was the IT manager of the first private company doing Sugarcane Breeding in the world, a company called CanaVialis founded in Brazil, which one year later was purchased by Monsanto. CanaVialis was an amazing case of a successful venture capital investment and also a very important Company with great results for sugarcane breeding, where important varieties with great yield potential, drought and disease resistance were developed.

Now: Today I’m NexSteppe Global IT Director, still working from Brazil but working with global teams in different geographies, now focused in sorghum breeding for different purposes, but still focused  in bio-energy, like I’ve been pursuing for the last 15 years with different crops!

Inspirations: It’s potential and difference it can bring to the mankind. There’s no way to disagree that we need to find new ways – and bio-energy is the way to go –  to produce energy and products in a sustainable way for the current and further generations.

Challenges: Other options to produce energy that are still considered “good” ones, and sometimes cheaper or capable of being accomplished or acquired with ease, like fossil fuel or other kinds of feedstocks, without any additional concern with sustainability or with the future just because they seem easier options for now.