Challenge found in shrimp farms becomes a system created by an MBA USP/Esalq student

The observation of a recurring problem in shrimp farms in the Jaguaribe Valley, Ceará, led student Jôsevan Tárcio Silva de Oliveira, from the MBA USP/Esalq in Software Engineering, to transform a difficulty found in the field into a technological solution. The project gave rise to MeuViveiro – Shrimp Farming Management, a web system developed to organize information on shrimp farming in ponds (carciniculture), reduce rework, and support producers’ decision-making.

The work was published in the journal Estratégias e Soluções (Strategies and Solutions). The research, conducted in partnership with Marcos Jardel Henriques, the project’s advisor, was validated in two commercial Litopenaeus vannamei farms, the Pacific white shrimp, a predominant species in Brazilian shrimp farming.

According to Jôsevan, the choice of topic arose from his proximity to the region’s productive reality. During technical visits to acquaintances’ properties, he found routines based on manual notes, spreadsheets, clipboards, and whiteboards. Although these resources are part of the daily life of many operations, the loss or difficulty of accessing records can compromise production monitoring and require repeated data collection.

“During visits to farms in the region, I noticed how manual records were subject to loss. In one of the properties, a sheet with biometric data was found in the vegetation, and in another, information noted on a board was erased. That’s when I realized that a digital tool could facilitate the producer’s routine and prevent the loss of this information,” reports Jôsevan.

MeuViveiro was designed to centralize different stages of the operation. The platform allows recording biometrics, monitoring animal growth, controlling feeding, managing inventories, transferring inputs between farms, and monitoring costs and revenues. The information can be consulted on a management dashboard, which brings together technical and financial indicators in a single interface.

One of the features was designed especially for the reality of rural properties with unstable connections. Via mobile phone, the producer can fill out the biometrics form even without internet access. The data is stored on the device and sent to the server as soon as a connection is identified.

“Since the connection in rural areas can be very unstable, the information is stored locally and sent to the server as soon as the device identifies an available connection. This way, data collection does not need to be interrupted by the absence of a signal in the farm,” explains Jôsevan.

The tool can also be adapted to the size of the operation. In smaller properties, the producer themselves can carry out the records. In farms with a larger number of ponds, activities can be distributed among professionals responsible for field data collection and administrative monitoring.

The tests showed positive results. The average error between the calculations performed by the system and the values manually determined was 1%, below the 5% limit considered acceptable. Automated tests achieved 87% coverage, exceeding the initial goal of 80%. In the evaluation conducted with field technicians, the tool received an average score of 4.6 on a scale of 1 to 5, with emphasis on the dashboard, platform stability, and agility in recording information.

For Jôsevan, the MBA was a differential in broadening his vision for the project. The training showed that developing a technological solution goes beyond programming and involves understanding the user, the market, management, and growth possibilities. The experience also contributed to an idea created from a local need being seen as a product with the potential to reach different producing regions.

“Before, I focused a lot on the technical side. The MBA helped me understand that it’s not enough to create a system that works. You need to think about who will use it, what problem it solves, and how this solution can grow,” he states.

Now, Jôsevan intends to gain the first users in the Northeast and, subsequently, expand the platform’s reach to other producing regions. He also plans to deepen the project through a master’s degree, incorporating new stages of the production chain.

“I want the solution to grow, reach more producers, and, most importantly, help more and more people,” he concludes.

To learn about the solution developed by Jôsevan, visit meuviveiro.agr.br. Information about the USP/Esalq MBA is available on the program’s website. The full article, “Automation and intelligent management in shrimp nurseries: development of an integrated web system,” can be read in Revista Estratégias e Soluções.

 

By Letícia Azevedo