The aim of this study was to verify the dynamics of milk production in Southern Brazil, analyzing the spatial distribution, evolution and structure of bovine milk production systems in the dairy-specialized microregions. To this end, annual data from 2000 to 2015 are drawn from the Municipal Livestock Survey, reported by the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografi a e Estatística, and the Programa Nacional de Fortalecimento da Agricultura Familiar, reported by the Banco Central do Brasil. Location quotient analyses, principal component analyses and clustering analyses are applied. Results of the location quotient analysis indicate that, of the 94 microregions in Southern Brazil, 36 are specialized in milk production. Two principal components were identifi ed (mechanized production and family production) capable of explaining 78.3% of the variation in the data. Among microregions specialized in milk production, cluster analysis identifi es four groups that are differentiated by productivity levels and predominance of family versus commercial production. Furthermore, results reveal that there is substantial heterogeneity among microregions specialized in bovine milk production in Southern Brazil.

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Crop rotation is one of the pillars of conservation agriculture. This practice has offered a series of advantages in terms of improving soil physical, chemical, and biological conditions. These advantages result in yield increases for all economic crops involved in the rotation systems and may also reduce production costs. In this context, the aim of this study was to compare the profitability of crop rotation systems with different levels of crop diversification. The experimental design was randomized blocks, with five treatments and four replications. The treatments included one less diversified crop rotation system (control) with soybean and wheat and four more diversified crop rotation systems (involving three or more species), including soybean, wheat, black oats, maize, canola, barley, blue lupine, white oats, beans, radish, triticale, rye, hairy vetch, and sorghum, under no-tillage conducted during a three-year cycle. Analyses were conducted considering productivity, operating cost, and economic profit. The highest accumulated gross yields were obtained in the more diversified crop rotation systems. The results show that the more diversified crop rotation systems were more profitable. When the opportunity cost was included, the most diversified crop rotations presented greater economic feasibility. The less diversified crop rotation system presented a negative economic profit. The crop rotation systems including beans presented the highest economic profit.

The aim of this study was to determine how often rural farmers in a watershed use no-tillage systems combined with crop rotation, contour farming and agricultural terraces. The study area was Paraná Watershed III (PB3) in the western region of Paraná State, and data from the 2006 Agricultural Census of the Brazilian Institute of geography and Statistics were used. A frequency distribution analysis of farms as a function of the no-tillage (NT) area was conducted in combination with a cluster analysis of soil and water conservation practices (adoption of crop rotation, contour farming and agricultural terrace practices). The results showed that the farms in PB3 adopt adequate soil and water conservation practices, with 73% adopting NT combined with at least 2 other conservation practices; however, agricultural terracing was found to be the most neglected practice in the region. In addition, based on the soil and water conservation practices in the watershed, 5 groups of farms were identified, the worst of which, those located in the municipalities that mainly neglect conservation practices, live in areas with highly erodible soils.

Issues related to farms have begun to be discussed in a global context due to their importance in the economic development process, as they have a direct impact on the social transformations within and away from the countryside and are an important part of the system ensuring the food supply and food security for the population. Thus, the aim of this study was to characterize the trends in the number of farms in the rural areas of Paraná, Brazil, by main type of activity and by land size category for the period from 2002 to 2014. Data from the National Household Sample Survey were used, and the mean annual variation rates were calculated via Student’s t-test using a log-linear ordinary least squares regression model. A reduction of 3.5% per annum (pa) was seen in the number of farms, both in relation to main activities and land size. There was a sharper decline in the number of farms dedicated to soybean (8.9% pa) and corn (6.3% pa) production and in the number of farms ranging in size from 10 ha to < 100 ha of land (7.09% pa). This information may support the establishment of public actions focused on the farming sector in Paraná.

Huanglongbing (HLB) is considered one of the main citrus diseases; it spreads quickly through orchards, reducing the production and quality of the fruit of affected plants, and causes significant economic losses. In this context, the aim of this study was to estimate the incidence and economic impact of the losses generated by HLB in the micro-region of Paranavaí, in the state of Paraná, Brazil. We used data from the Paraná Agribusiness Defense Agency, which conducts surveys of host plants of the causal agent of HLB. The production sacrificed by HLB was estimated considering the following scenarios: (i) losses occurring from January 2011 to June 2013; and (ii) losses related to the potential production of the citrus plant over its useful life. Although the annual incidence of HLB in the Paranavaí region is currently below 2.5%, there was a 6-fold increase in the incidence of the disease, from 0.16% to 0.96%, in the period considered. Orchards that had lesser than 10,000 plants showed a higher incidence of the disease. The losses produced by HLB generated estimated economic impacts of US$11.8 million and US$39.2 million for the first and second scenarios, respectively. These results highlight the importance of the prevention and management of this disease.

Resumo: Questões relacionadas aos empreendimentos agrícolas vêm sendo discutidas em todo o mundo, o que ocorre pela importância deles no desenvolvimento econômico das nações, por estarem diretamente relacionados às transformações sociais dentro e fora do campo e por serem imprescindíveis para a produção e a oferta de alimentos, bem como para a segurança alimentar. Neste contexto, o objetivo deste estudo foi caracterizar as tendências de variação no número de empreendimentos agrícolas no Brasil, por tipo de atividade principal e por estrato de área, para o período de 2004 a 2015. Para tanto, foram utilizados dados da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios e calculadas as taxas médias de variação anual, por meio do teste t de Student, utilizando uma regressão dos mínimos quadrados ordinários na forma log-linear. Entre 2004 e 2015, foi constatada queda de 3,3% a.a. no número de empreendimentos agropecuários no Brasil, totalizando uma redução de 1.382.700 unidades produtivas. Também foi observado que as reduções mais intensas ocorreram nos empreendimentos agrícolas dedicados à produção de arroz (–13,4% a.a.), nos de lavouras temporárias (–12,5% a.a.) e naqueles com área de ≥ 50 a < 100 hectares (–4,5% a.a.). Tais constatações são relevantes e permitem o delineamento de ações voltadas à segurança alimentar e nutricional no Brasil.