The dynamics of soybean expansion and the use of agrochemicals in the Rondônia state

Abstract

The exponential growth of agribusiness in Brazil led to the widespread adoption of technological packages and to the increased the use of agricultural pesticides, which have triggered significant impacts on biodiversity. These impacts manifest through practices such as burnings, as well as soil, water, and air pollution, mainly observed in areas dedicated to soybean (Glycine max) cultivation. In the state of Rondônia, during the 2021/2022 agricultural year, the area allocated to soybean cultivation covered a vast expansion of 460,119 hectares. Soybean cultivation notably demands the use of agricultural pesticides, including herbicides.The data on the locations of soybean cultivation areas overthe last 10 years and the main agricultural pesticides used in the past five years were extracted from the monitoring system of Rondônia’s pesticide trade (Sistema de Fiscalização do Comércio de Agrotóxicos de Rondônia – SIAFRO), managed by the Rondônia agrosilvopastoral health defense agency (Agência de Defesa Sanitária Agrosilvopastoril do estado de Rondônia – IDARON). In the cultivated soybean areas of the state, the distribution of soybean was observed in environmental conservation areas, with changes in the production behavior and in the main active ingredients of pesticides used, their use classification, and the quantity allocated to the crop. Remarkably, soybean cultivation is the primary destination for agrochemicals marketed in Rondônia. Glyphosate, either in its pure or compound form, emerges as the predominant active ingredient, accounting for 50% of the total volume marketed in the region over the last five years. In quantitative terms, over the past five years, soybean cultivation demanded a total accumulated amount of 24,749,409 liters-kilograms of pesticides, with 5,250,289 liters-kilograms used solely in the municipality of Cerejeiras during the same period.