Regional patterns of productivity and mechanization in the Brazilian agriculture

Abstract

This research constructed regional indicators of mechanization, and land and labor productivities in the Brazilian agriculture, with basis on data from the agricultural censuses of 1995/1996, 2006, and 2017. The objective of this research was to evaluate the agricultural performance at regional level and potential regional differences in the sector. The results showed that the Brazilian agriculture has presented significant regional disparities, and that this process has continued over the last three decades. It was also observed that the highest levels of the indicators occurred in the South, Southeast, and Mid-West regions, and that despite the changes in some indicators in the North and Northeast regions, the regional disparities are still profound. Therefore, although the growth of production has been significant, accompanied by the higher mechanization and the productivity rising of land and labor, these were not sufficient to reduce the regional and intraregional differences in the Brazilian agricultural sector.Regional indicators; agricultural production; land and labor productivities; production value.