Characterization of dynamics in grain production and typical farm in Southern Brazil

Abstract

The agricultural sector plays an important role in the Brazilian economy. The rural producer has at his disposal different possibilities of composition of the productive system, and his choice translates into aggregate patterns of behavior, defining regional food supply. Southern Brazil accounts for a considerable national acreage of soy, corn and wheat. The  objective of this work was to characterize the productive dynamics of grain crops and typical regional property in Southern Brazil. Secondary data sources were used on
supply, demand and sown area, and on the typical regional property collected via panel technique, made available by CEPEA/CNA, for Cascavel/PR, Londrina/PR, Castro/PR, Guarapuava/PR, Carazinho/RS and Tupanciretã/RS, comprising the 2012/13 to 2018/19 seasons, and for Campos Novos/SC, Xanxerê/SC from 2013/14 to 2018/19. It is concluded that soybeans have represented higher proportion of cultivation as the first crop, followed by corn and beans first crops. For the second crop, there is a predominant cultivation of second crop corn in Cascavel/PR and Londrina/PR, and a high proportion of cover crop in the other regions, with wheat being cultivated at a lower intensity. Future studies are needed to quantify the superiority of soybean in economic terms, given its growing participation in typical properties in Southern Brazil. Still, one must understand the preference for the adoption of cover crop in the second crop, instead of wheat, as is not sold and does not generate revenue. This work contributed to identify grain cultivation trends in Southern Brazil and provided questions for future research.