Potential for Agricultural Expansion in Degraded Pasture Lands in Brazil Based on Geospatial Databases

Abstract

Important public and private initiatives to map agricultural lands and natural resources have been carried out in Brazil to support land use planning. Some studies indicate that Brazil still has up to 109.7 million hectares of cultivated pastures with some level of degradation, representing around 60% of the total pasturelands, estimated at 177 million hectares. This study aimed to gather, process, and analyze publicly available databases to generate quantitative and spatial information about the potential of Brazilian degraded pastures for agricultural expansion. We considered data related to the natural agricultural potential, restrictions imposed by special areas (indigenous lands and Afro-Brazilian “quilombola” settlements), areas with high biodiversity conservation priorities, infrastructure such as distance between major highways and availability of warehouses, current agricultural areas, and the information made available by Agricultural Climate Risk Zoning. The results indicated the existence of approximately 28 million hectares of planted pastures with intermediate and severe levels of degradation that show high potential for agricultural crops. These areas could increase the planted areas with grains in Brazil by approximately 35% in relation to the total area used in the 2022/23 crop season.

Discrimination of Degraded Pastures in the Brazilian Cerrado Using the PlanetScope SuperDove Satellite Constellation

“…In ecosystems like the Cerrado, characterized by a prolonged dry season and a naturally less vigorous vegetation, due to soil and climate conditions, biological degradation is the predominant form [5]. Various pasture management strategies and techniques exist to recover or renew degraded pastures in the Brazilian savanna, with costs increasing in direct proportion to degradation levels [5,[9][10][11]. In our study, this observation validates Our study, therefore, has identified suitable periods for data acquisition, notably the transition from the rainy to the dry season (May to June) and the beginning of a new seasonal cycle in October after the initial rainfall events.…”

“…This interest is fueled by the recognition that well-managed and productive pasturelands have the potential to enhance carbon sequestration and reduce carbon emissions [6][7][8]. Another compelling reason for mapping these areas is to devise strategies or policies aimed at the potential conversion of degraded pastures into reforested areas or agricultural land [8,9]. For example, through effective management of degraded pastures, these areas can be transformed into soybean fields, contributing to increased crop production without causing deforestation or clearing of native vegetation in both the Cerrado and Amazon biomes.…”

From Traditionally Extensive to Sustainably Intensive: A Review on the Path to a Sustainable and Inclusive Beef Farming in Brazil

“…According to Bolfe et al (2024) [43], approximately 110 million ha of pasture exhibit some level of degradation, representing about 60% of the total. Of these, 28 million ha are moderately or severely degraded but are situated on land suitable for crop production (Figure 2).…”

“…In response, there is growing appeal for the sustainable intensification of Brazilian agriculture and beef farming in particular. Bolfe et al (2024) [43] argue that converting 28 million ha of degraded pasture, as encouraged by the National Programme for the Conversion of Degraded Pastures (MAPA, 2023) [42], could increase the total crop area by 35%, compared to the 2022/2023 crop season. Alternatively, recovering 30 million ha of pasture for improved beef farming would require an investment of USD 8.6 billion and could yield returns ranging from USD 440 million to USD 6.7 billion, depending on various beef price scenarios (Carlos et al, 2022) [47].…”

“…Given the high costs associated with recovering degraded pastures, farmers may opt for croplivestock integration (Bolfe et al, 2024; Sekaran et al, 2021) [43][44][45][46][47][48]. This approach, sometimes incorporating trees, is known as integrated crop-livestock-forest systems (ICLFS).…”