Sistema de plantio direto (SPD) e desempenho produtivo da agropecuária brasileira

Abstract

Aligning the need to increase agricultural production with sustainable production practices is the great challenge for agents working in the agricultural sector, which requires efficient production from an economic and environmental point of view. It is necessary to understand the effect and impact on economic results in their various dimensions, of the advancement of productive practices considered sustainable. Among the sustainable practices, the expansion of the No-tillage (NT) is the result of public policies of direct and indirect incentives in Brazil. This thesis seeks to test the conservationist hypothesis that these practices are related to economic gains by answering the following question: does the advance of the NT in Brazil promote economic gains? To answer the question, this thesis uses econometric studies in three articles, namely: 1) evaluates the effect of the expansion of the No-Tillage (NT) on the technical efficiency of Brazilian agriculture, through the estimation of a stochastic production frontier 2) understand the conditioning factors for the adoption and the economic impact of the expansion of the NT in Brazil and 3) evaluate the impact of the NT on productive expenses in agriculture and livestock in a climate change scenario. It was possible to conclude that direct NT contributes to increasing the technical efficiency of Brazilian agriculture, however, its contribution over time is conditioned to structural factors, and its adoption in Brazil is conditioned to livestock activities and climate variables, which are factors that contribute to the likelihood of NT adoption in Brazil. There is evidence that NT positively affects the economic performance of agricultural activities in Brazilian municipalities for different levels of proportion of area with NT over arable land. Regarding the impact of the NT on productive expenses in a scenario of climate change, directed at the reality of the municipalities in the state of Goiás, the study also allows the conclusion that the expansion of NT in the state has the potential to increase the average agricultural profitability of the municipalities from less costs and productive expenses, making the municipalities of Goiás that maintain NT in their arable areas less vulnerable to the climate in the face of future climate change scenarios. It is important to point out that the fact that the historical pattern of temperature and precipitation influences the choice of this soil management practice strengthens the evidence of its use as an adaptive measure to climate change. Measures that can restrict the inclusion of arable areas, increase the availability of human capital and support mechanization, as well as the agro-industrialization of agricultural production in Goiás, are fundamental for the expansion of areas cultivated with NT in the state of Goiás.