Matopiba in agriculture expansion: territorial and socioeconomic aspects

Abstract

Over the last decades, Brazil has become one of the global leaders in agriculture production. Factors contributing to such results include natural resources availability, favorable climate conditions, agricultural research, producer and agroindustry entrepreneurship and governmental policies towards the agricultural sector. The region known as MATOPIBA (Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí and Bahia), in the North/Northeast of Brazil, has become an important agriculture frontier. In the last decade, soy and corn production rose from 6 to 14 million tons. However, it’s important to guarantee that the agriculture expansion in the region happens with sustainability in mind. For this, integrated analysis of social, biophysical, infrastructure, rural credit, and economical characteristics plays an important role in establishing regional public policies. This work analyzed the agriculture expansion in the region and the land use / cover change trajectories. Agriculture expansion in the region happened in areas deforested in the past and in areas deforested in more recent periods (after 2002). Socioeconomic indicators, such as the Human Development Index and Gross Domestic Produce, increased in the last decades, in part related to the growth of agriculture production. By studying socioeconomic factors along other geospatial datasets, it’s possible to gain a better understanding of the processes related agriculture in MATOPIBA, such as expansion, retraction, transition and intensification, helping establish public policies for the region.