Technologies for rational water use in Brazilian agriculture

Christian Luiz Da Silva,Nádia Solange Schimitd Bassi,Weimar Freire Da Rocha Jr

doi:10.4136/ambi-agua.1808

Abstract

Brazil has the highest water availability of any country in the world. Nearly 20% of all the world’s rivers flow on Brazilian soil. Brazil’s herds of cattle, pigs and poultry are among the largest in the world, and the country uses irrigated agriculture extensively, which accounts for most water consumption (approximately 70% of the water consumed in the world). The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), the largest and most important public institution of Brazilian agricultural research, has attempted to develop environmental technologies in order to minimize the impact caused by the scarcity and pollution of water resources. This paper describes the technologies this institution offers to different regions. For this purpose, a descriptive and exploratory study was conducted in various Embrapa research units. The results showed that research on the rational use of water in agriculture has intensified since the early 2000s. However, the pace of growth in agricultural activities and their impact is much greater than that of the generated technologies, demonstrating the difficulty in striking a balance in this relationship. Furthermore, it is clear that that water scarcity and the increasing pollution of shallow and deep waters are complex issues with no short-term solution.

Highlights

Brazilian society is embroiled in a number of conflicts regarding the use of water, especially in regions where this resource is historically scarce
The aim of this study is to describe the technologies developed by this institution for the rational use of water in different regions of Brazil
Despite the efforts by Embrapa in recent years to provide technologies focusing on the rational use of water in agriculture and livestock, this problem cannot be solved in the short term, especially in a country like Brazil that is essentially agricultural

Summary

Introduction

Brazilian society is embroiled in a number of conflicts regarding the use of water, especially in regions where this resource is historically scarce. It took a long time for farmers and the government to realize that exploitation of the ecosystem could cripple agriculture in the long term, depending on the methods employed This occurs through the exhaustion of natural resources like water and soil, which are directly involved in the process. When this connection was made, it inspired a drive to seek new farming methods and technologies that would lead to environmental and economic sustainability. Without this sustainability, any changes that might be made would not endure (WWF, 2002). Conceição et al (2013) emphasize that agriculture is growing at a much faster pace than are efforts to achieve sustainable management of water resources

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