Brazil's agricultural expansion: main crops in Matopiba

Abstract

This study maps the share of the main temporary and permanent crops in agricultural expansion, based on IBGE data between 1994 and 2019, for the Brazilian mesoregions of Maranhão (MA), Tocantins (TO), Piauí (PI), and Bahia (BA), designated by the acronym “Matopiba”. The locational Gini coefficient and modified Hirschman-Herfindahl Index (mHHI) were employed as analysis tools. The results detected cotton as the main crop, followed by soybean. Bahia Center North, Bahia Northeast, Maranhão Center, Maranhão North, Maranhão West, Piauí Center North, and Piauí North can be highlighted for the evaluated temporary crops, and Bahia Extreme West and Bahia Northeast for the permanent ones.