AIRTON SPIES holds a Doctorate in Natural Resource Economics from the University of Queensland, Australia (2003), and a Master of Agricultural Science from Lincoln University, New Zealand (1996). He graduated as an Agronomic Engineer from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (1990) and as a Business Administrator from UNIDAVI (1986), and is a specialist in Farm Management from the Federal University of Lavras, Minas Gerais (1992). He held a traineeship in Rural Economics and studied Public Administration at Fundação Getúlio Vargas in Rio de Janeiro. He is also an Agricultural Technician, trained at Colégio Agrícola de Camboriú (1980). He is fluent in written and spoken Portuguese and English, and has spoken and reading command of German and Spanish.
He is the son of a family farmer who went on to chair an agricultural cooperative, and was born in Itapiranga, Santa Catarina.
Public administration
He was State Secretary at the State Secretariat of Agriculture and Fisheries of Santa Catarina from March to December 2018 and from April 2014 to February 2015. He also served as Deputy Secretary from April 2010 to March 2014 and from March 2016 to February 2018.
He also served as General Coordinator of the South Brazilian Dairy Alliance, an agreement for the development of the dairy supply chain created by the governors of the three states of southern Brazil. He was a full member of the Dairy Sector Chamber of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA).
Research and rural extension
He worked for 34 years at the Santa Catarina Agricultural Research and Rural Extension Agency (Epagri) as a rural extension officer and researcher, coordinating research programmes. He headed the Centre for Socioeconomics and Agricultural Planning — Epagri/Cepa — from 2005 to 2010, responsible for planning the farm sector of Santa Catarina and leading a team of 66 economics and management professionals.
Over his career at Epagri he worked on research, development and rural extension projects aimed at improving the management, the sustainability and the competitiveness of agribusinesses, with an emphasis on professionalized family farming.
International experience
He has extensive international experience, gained over six years of study abroad and in the technical coordination of 13 technical missions to a range of countries, particularly to study the dairy supply chains of New Zealand, Australia, Uruguay, Mexico and Canada.
Today
He teaches in graduate programmes as a guest lecturer and gives talks on agribusiness, economics, cooperativism and agricultural technology, with a focus on dairy farming, at regional, national and international events. He currently works as a speaker and consultant, owner of SpiesAgro Palestras e Consultoria, having delivered countless talks for Ocepar, OCEB, Sescoop-BA, Sescoop-MG, cooperatives and institutions in Pernambuco, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná, alongside his consulting work.
He has also been active academically, supervising master’s and doctoral theses and sitting on a number of doctoral examination panels.