The Territorial Distribution of Sugarcane in Relation to Land-use and Agro-ecological Zoning of Sugarcane in the State of Goias

Abstract

Since last decades, Brazilian ethanol industry has gained notoriety in international agribusiness. The state of Goias, located in the Cerrado biome, is one of the most threatened by agricultural advancement and is the second largest producer of ethanol in Brazil. Before 2009, the country didn't have agricultural and environmental policies related to the territorial planning of sugarcane agro-business.  Consequentially, changes in the landscape have occurred as a result of altering land usage for the cultivation of sugarcane. Therefore the objective of this study was to quantify the territorial sugarcane distribution in relation to land-use types and the Agro-Ecological Zoning of Sugarcane (AEZ Cane), both before and after the zoning implementation, in the state of Goias during the period of 2006 to 2012. Using geoprocessing techniques from the ArcGIS software, results show a 302% increase in the number of sugarcane fields from 2005-2012. During 2006-2008, agriculture was the preferred area of sugarcane expansion, and after 2010, the preference for expansion moved to pasture lands. From 2010 on (after AEZ Cane implementation), 87 % of the sugarcane was planted in suitable AEZ Cane areas and 13% was planted outside. Agricultural fields were the preferred areas for expansion in AEZ Cane, suggesting a crop substitution. Outside the zoning, expansion tended to occur in pasture lands, followed by agricultural fields and remaining native vegetation areas. In 2012, the remnants of native vegetation areas lost 22% in order for increased sugarcane expansion. The AEZ Cane provided forms to sugarcane spatial planning. But the need for monitoring must remain in order to prevent expansion outside the zoning areas.