Cropland expansion in Brazil, 2000 to 2014
Abstract
Brazil has become a global leader in the production of commodity row crops such as soybean, sugarcane, cotton, and corn. Here, we employ 30m spatial resolution Landsat data to estimate cropland extent in the year 2000 and its subsequent expansion through 2014. A probability-based sample of reference data allows us to report unbiased estimates of national, biome, and state-scale area of crop expansion with associated uncertainties. We find an increase in Brazilian cropland extent from 26.0 Mha in 2000 to 46.1 Mha in 2014. The cropland frontier states of Maranhao, Tocantins, Piaui, Bahia (MATOPIBA), Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Para all more than doubled in cropland extent. The states of Goias, Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo experienced >50% increases. The vast majority of expansion, 79%, occurred on repurposed pasture lands, and 20% from the conversion of natural vegetation. Area of converted Cerrado savannas was nearly 2.5 times that of Amazon forests, and accounted for over half of new cropland in MATOPIBA. Spatio-temporal dynamics of cropland expansion are reflected in market conditions, land use policies, and other factors. Continued extensification of cropland is a viable option across Brazil with attendant benefits for and challenges to development.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2017
- Bibcode:
- 2017AGUFMGC43A1048Z
- Keywords:
-
- 0402 Agricultural systems;
- BIOGEOSCIENCES;
- 1630 Impacts of global change;
- GLOBAL CHANGE;
- 1632 Land cover change;
- GLOBAL CHANGE;
- 1640 Remote sensing;
- GLOBAL CHANGE