The importance of agriculture
Face to face with a big objective
Population growth associated with increased income, especially in developing countries, is increasing global consumption of food, clothing and energy. The projected increase in income in developing countries will cause an increase in protein consumption, which is directly related to the consumption of soybeans and corn. The consumption difference between developed and developing countries is expected to decline.
We live in an accelerated phase of technological paradigm shifts, and the intensive use of technology will be increasingly essential to agriculture. Some recent scientific events were crucial for agricultural development to reach their present levels, such as the further enhancement in the processes of cross breeding plant species of the late nineteenth century, the “green revolution” in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and the advent of biotechnology in the 1980s.
The new revolution in technology-based agriculture should be based on sustainability, focusing on environmental preservation, including becoming part of the solution of reducing emissions of greenhouse gases through the use of renewable fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.
Brazil is (a large) part of the solution
Advantages of the Brazilian agricultural sector
The Brazilian agricultural sector has grown rapidly over recent decades with increased productivity, as well as the expansion and consolidation of new agricultural frontiers.
Investments in agricultural research and technology for tropical agriculture were major differences that made the incorporation of the Brazilian Cerrado into productive use possible. According to Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation), one of the main reasons for the success of agriculture in the Cerrado region was the development of a technological package for success with emphasis on new varieties adapted to the conditions in low latitudes. There is plenty of rainfall and the topography is highly favorable for mechanization.
- Stable and high temperatures throughout the year (especially in the Cerrado region)
- Technology developed by research centers
- Technology developed by research centers
- Abundance of land for cultivation
- Good soil quality
- Flat topography
- Abundance of rain and sun.
Brazil today occupies a prominent place in world Agribusiness and is among the largest producers and exporters of agricultural products and derivatives, having accounted for 20% of global grain exports, according to the USDA (US Department of Agriculture) (20/21 harvest estimate). The country has all the conditions to occupy even greater space in the international scenario of food and biofuel production, as it has competitive advantages over other countries, in addition to having the largest stock of agricultural land. This competitiveness is due to climatic factors favorable to production and the abundance of agricultural land. Agribusiness represented , in 2020, 27% of Brazilian GDP according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (mapa), and agricultural exports have been largely responsible for the country’s trade balance surplus.
| Product | Yield | Export |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 2 | 1 |
| Coffee | 1 | 1 |
| Soyean | 1 | 1 |
| Beef | 2 | 1 |
| Ethanol | 2 | 2 |
| Poultry | 2 | 1 |
| Corn | 3 | 2* |
| Pork | 4 | 4 |
| Cotton | 4 | 2 |
Source: (USDA, 2022 for animal protein and 2021/22 crop year for grains and lint)
The history of agriculture in Brazil
See how agriculture has become one of our economic pillars
Indigenous agriculture
Agriculture was already a practice known by Brazilian natives who mainly cultivated some tubers in addition to performing plant extraction of several other varieties of local flora – either for food or for by-products such as straw or wood – and also native fruits.
Colonial Brazil
Soon after the discovery of Brazil, the country’s natural riches had not appeared to be promising until the introduction of the production of sugarcane in the Northeast. The Brazilian economy then became dependent on the export of sugar, which did not have much access to the markets, which started to decline from the second half of the seventeenth century.
Brazilian Empire
Coffee was introduced into the country at the end of the colonial period. However, it was only after its independence that production was consolidated in the Southeast, especially in São Paulo. The immigration of Europeans was accentuated by the coffee production in Western São Paulo, mainly with the arrival of Italians in the country.
Agricultural diversification
Due to the delays observed in the farmlands they could not fulfill the demands of large urban centers, and cities like São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Recife suffered from shortages of basic items such as sugar, wheat, beans and others.
During the military regime, EMBRAPA (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) was created, in order to boost and diversify the agricultural matrix of the country. The agency was responsible for the development of new cultivars adapted to the peculiar conditions of the various regions of the country.
The expansion of the agricultural frontier to Cerrado was a major milestone in Brazilian agriculture history, and as a result large producers with systems on a semi-industrial scale for soybean, cotton, corn and beans started to emerge.
In 1960 there were four major agricultural products exported. By the early 1990s they had increased to nineteen. The progress over these last thirty years also includes processing: in the 1960s, non-processed products were 84% of total exports, a figure that fell to 20% in the early 1990s.
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Maria Yedda Linhares (Apr 12, 1999). Pesquisas em história da agricultura brasileira no Rio de Janeiro. Viewed on Dec 22, 2009.