No-Tillage and Conservation Agriculture Adoption by Farmers in Southern Brazil

Abstract

in Brazil, the development of a strong technical foundation for soil and water conservation has made no-tillage (NT) the leading method for preparing land for temporary crops. Despite this, there's insufficient information regarding the extent to which farmers have adopted NT and conservation agriculture (CA) and the distribution and evolution of these practices within Paraná-a state at the forefront of NT and CA implementation. This study investigates the adoption rates of NT and CA among Paraná's farmers, focusing on temporary crops. It utilizes specialized data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics' agricultural censuses of 2006 and 2017. Adoption rates for NT and CA were determined by comparing their proportions in both the number of farming properties and the overall land area devoted to temporary crops across various microregions. Findings indicate a rise in the adoption of NT from 68.5% to 78.9% and CA from 14.6% to 27.7% over the 2006 to 2017 period. Moreover, adoption rates varied across the 39 microregions, with the highest rates in regions dominated by temporary crops, particularly soybeans, maize, and wheat. Conversely, the lowest adoption rates were found in microregions where permanent crops and pastures prevailed, and sugarcane, cassava, and rice were the primary temporary crops.

Keywords:
no-tillage system; soil conservation; soil management; land use planning; sustainability

HIGHLIGHTS

No-tillage area in Paraná increased by 29.5% from 2006 to 2017 (2.8 to 3.7 Mha)

Conservation agriculture went from 18.1% of farm holdings in 2006 to 31.7% in 2017

Adoption of conservation agriculture can help to sustainable intensification of agriculture.