Agricultural land use in the Brazilian La Plata Basin
Ana Carolina F. de Vasconcelos1, Andrea F. Hoffmann2, Alfredo C. Fantini4, Luiz R. D’Agostini4,
Michelle Bonatti3, Sandro L. Schlindwein4, Sérgio R. Martins5
researcher – UFSC/NUMAVAM; [email protected]; 2Pre-PhD student – Federal University of Santa Catarina, Agricultural Sciences Center, 3PrePhD student – Universidad de Buenos Aires, Faculdad de Agronomia, 4Federal University of Santa Catarina, Agricultural Sciences Center, 5Federal University of
Santa Catarina, Technological Center
1Post-doc
INTRODUCTION
METHODOLOGY
Agricultural land use in the La Plata Basin
Current trends and the changes in land use in
(LPB) is highly dynamic and of great importance
the Brazilian part of the basin from 1996 to 2008
for the world economy and food security.
were evaluated by using the Instituto Brasileiro de
Identifying the most important land use sectors
Geografia e Estatística platform as the major source
and their changes observed in the past years
of data. The evaluated States were Minas Gerais
are fundamental to recognize which areas in the
(MG), Goiás (GO), Mato Grosso (MT), Mato Grosso
basin are more vulnerable to climate change.
do Sul (MS), São Paulo (SP), Paraná (PR), Santa
The area and production of main agricultural
Catarina (SC) and Rio Grande do Sul (RS). It was
land uses were characterized for the Brazilian
gathered data of area for permanent and temporary
territory within the LPB basin, aiming at a guide
crops, forests, and pastures.
to the design of strategies of adaptation.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
States
1.800
Changes in land use from 1996 to 2008 were verified (Table 1),
1.600
Table 1. Land use area of the Brazilian States located in La Plata Basin
Area (1000 ha)
specially an increase in the areas for temporary crops.
(1996)
1.400
PR
MT
1.200
MS
1.000
SP
800
SC
600
MG
400
GO
200
RS
Area (1000 ha)
0
1.800
1.600
1.400
1.200
1.000
800
600
400
200
0
Coffee
Soybean
Maize
Sugarcane
Crops
Wheat
(2008)
PR
MT
MS
SP
SC
MG
GO
RS
Coffee
Soybean
Maize
Crops
Sugarcane
Wheat
Figure 1. Areas for crops in Brazilian LPB in 1996 and 2008
Significant changes were verified for the main crops from 1996 to 2008 (Figure 1). Area used for soybean and sugarcane cultivation increased in all the
States. The area cultivated with maize decreased in Santa Catarina, Goiás and Rio Grande do Sul States. Wheat presented increases in Santa Catarina, Minas
Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul areas. For coffee, increased areas were observed in Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul States. Important changes in agricultural land
use observed in Brazilian LPB may be associated to the climate change, a hypothesis yet to be verified. Agriculture is directly responsible for 14% of total
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and broader rural land use decisions have large impact. On the other hand, agriculture offers an important pathway for
reducing future emissions and for managing efficiently the natural and limited resources, such as water, land, and biodiversity. Adequate techniques such as
conservation agriculture, keeping forests and grasslands require less tilling of the land and thus keep more carbon trapped in the soil.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under Grant Agreement N° 212492 (CLARIS LPB. A
Europe-South America Network for Climate Change Assessment and Impact Studies in La Plata Basin).
http://www.claris-eu.org/