Evolution and current scenario of irrigated area in Brazil: Systematic data analysis

Abstract

Water is an essential element to life and used in various human activities. However, because of the amount used in agriculture and the increase in irrigated area, the sustainable use of this resource has become a worldwide concern. In this study, data from the Censuses of Agriculture published by the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) from 1960 to 2017 were evaluated in relation to the regions and irrigation methods, performing a detailed analysis between the data from the 2006 and 2017 Censuses. There was an increase in irrigated area in Brazil in all geographic regions, reaching 6.9 million hectares in 2017. Sprinkler irrigation methods are the most used, with 48% of the irrigated area, followed by localized irrigation (24.4%) and surface irrigation (22.3%). Drip irrigation is the most used system in establishments up to 50 ha (617,423 ha), followed by conventional sprinkler (514,893 ha), while the center pivot stands out in areas larger than 50 ha (1,362,828 ha). The Southeast region (38.6%) and the states of Rio Grande do Sul (20.4%), Minas Gerais (16.6%) and São Paulo (16.0%) stand out as the ones with the largest irrigated area in the country. The State of Minas Gerais showed the highest growth of irrigated area in the 2006-2017 period (116.1%), due to the expansion of areas irrigated with center pivot.

Effects of Superhydrophobic Sand Mulching on Evapotranspiration and Phenotypic Responses in Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) under Normal and Reduced Irrigation

“…Irrigated agricultural lands are of vital importance, as they represent 20% of the total cultivated land but contribute over 40% of the global food production (WWAP, 2009). Irrigated agriculture has been expanding to feed the growing global population; for example, India, China, and Brazil have witnessed a 30% (Jain et al, 2020), 52% (Zhu et al, 2013), and 52% (Carvalho et al, 2020) increase in cultivated areas under irrigation in the last 50 years, respectively. Further, between 2012 and 2030, the global irrigated land area is expected to increase by over 30%, from 310 Mha to 402 Mha (Darko et al, 2016).…”

Water rationalization in Brazilian irrigated agriculture

“…India is the country with the largest irrigated area in the world, 66 million hectares, followed by China and the United States, with 62 and 27 million hectares, respectively. The irrigated area in Brazil has more than 8.2 million ha (ANA, 2021), ranking it among the ten countries with the largest irrigated area in the world (Carvalho et al, 2020a). Below table 1 with the irrigated areas in Brazil.…”

Effects of superhydrophobic sand mulching on evapotranspiration and phenotypic responses in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants under normal and reduced irrigation

“…Globally, many arid and semi‐arid regions have emerged as agricultural hubs by exploiting freshwater resources. For instance, in the last 50 years, irrigated agriculture footprints in India, China, and Brazil have expanded by 30% (Jain et al, 2020), 52% (Zhu et al, 2013), and 52% (Carvalho et al, 2020), respectively. Most arid regions are characterized by dry winds and high temperatures that lead to substantial evaporative and transpiration losses (Al‐Naizy & Simonet, 2012; Balugani et al, 2017).…”