Brazilian Cerrado: Current Status and Prospects as a Food Bowl for the World by Tony Fischer

摘要

The Brazilian Cerrado is a vast savanna region of around 200 M ha in the central-west of Brazil, south of and adjacent to the Amazon forest region. It has been opened up for cropping only in the last 40 years with land clearing, lime and phosphorus fertilizer; currently around 14 M ha produce 50 M of grain annually, but it is claimed there remains a huge potential for expansion of cropping. The article describes a private visit to the region in February 2008. The region has a long enough summer wet season for double cropping, currently soybeans followed by maize, with some upland rice in recently opened up areas, and some irrigated winter cropping; cattle production is widespread on largely unimproved pastures of which there is around 60 M ha. Farmsare generally large and farmers, often immigrants for southern Brazil, sophisticated. Zero till predominates and good farmers give much attention to maintaining ground cover at all times. Land clearing is regulated at a maximum of 60-80% of any property, and large uncleared strips along stream lines characterize the cropping districts from the air. The region is reasonably well served by public (EMBRAPA), private and farmer cooperative R and D activities, and although there are many research issues, current and expanded cropping could remain sustainable. A major constraint is the expensive transport to distant Atlantic ports. Grain production will continue to expand, perhaps by 70% to 2020, but reaching 350 M t claimed by some, while feasible, is a long way off.