Agriculture in Brazil

Agriculture in Brazil is a very important part of the country's economy. In 2024, Brazil was the second-biggest grain exporter in the world, and it was also the fourth biggest grain producer overall. Brazil grows and sells many things that people all around the world enjoy, like coffee, soybeans, organic honey, beef, and poultry.

The southern part of Brazil has better weather, richer soil, and more advanced farming technology. This area makes most of the country's grains and other important crops. Other parts of Brazil, like the northeast region and the Amazon basin, have less rain and poorer soil. These areas are mostly used for small farming, but they are also starting to export things like forest products and tropical fruits.

Extreme weather, such as drought, can hurt farming in Brazil. Experts believe that protecting forests is key to keeping Brazil's agriculture strong and safe for the future.

Brazil's agricultural production in 2018

In 2018, Brazil grew and produced many important foods and crops. It was the biggest maker of sugarcane, used to make ethanol and sugar. Brazil was also the biggest grower of oranges, coffee, and a special fruit called açaí. The country was a top producer of soybeans, maize (corn), and cassava, among many other crops. Brazil grew a wide variety of foods, from rice and wheat to fruits like bananas, pineapples, and mangoes. This shows just how important farming is in Brazil.

History

Main article: History of Brazil

Early farming

Long ago, before Europeans arrived, Indigenous peoples lived in the Amazon for thousands of years. They grew crops like Manioc, squash, guava, beans, and rice in the Amazon Basin.

After Columbus arrived in the Americas, Jesuits came to the Amazon in 1549. They asked Indigenous people to help collect cacao for their work. Later, cacao farms were started.

Agronomy schools

In 1887, the first school to train people in farming opened in Cruz das Almas. Another school opened in Pelotas in 1883. These schools helped train farmers.

Diversification: 1960–1990

In 1973, EMBRAPA was created to help Brazil grow different crops. They helped farmers grow new crops in different parts of the country. During this time, Brazil started growing more crops like soybeans and beans.

Mechanization: 1990s

In the 1990s, Brazil changed its farming ways. Farms started using more machines instead of people. This made farming more efficient and helped Brazil compete with other countries.

Irrigation

Main article: Irrigation in Brazil

People in Brazil first tried to use water to help crops grow in a place called Rio Grande do Sul. They tried to grow rice there. The first known effort began in 1881 with the building of a dam called Cadro, which started in 1903. But it wasn't until the years between 1970 and 1980 that more people began using this method.

In some parts of Brazil, private groups helped start irrigation, especially in the South and Southeast areas. In another part called the Northeast, government groups began working on it in the 1950s. Later, new plans were created to help more farms use water, bringing in experts from many places.

Even though there was a lot of potential for irrigation, dry periods sometimes made it hard to use as much water as needed. Different ways of bringing water to crops were used, with the most common being surface irrigation, followed by methods that spray water overhead and targeted irrigation.

Today, new rules about irrigation are being discussed in Brazil's National Congress to update older laws. Water use is managed by special groups under laws created in 1997.

Infrastructure

Crop storage in Brazil needs to grow to keep up with how much food is being made. In 2003, the country only had enough space to store about 75% of its grain. Most farms do not have their own storage, so farmers must sell their crops quickly. They often use storage services run by others.

Moving crops from farms to markets has always been hard in Brazil. Many roads are in poor condition, making transport expensive and difficult. The government tried to help with a plan in 2006, but not enough money has been spent on improving these roads. This makes it hard for farmers to get their products to where they are needed.

Family farming

In Brazil, family farmers are people who work on small farms. These farms have rules about the land, size, money, and family help. Most family farms are in the northeast, south, and southeast parts of Brazil. These farms grow a lot of the food that people in Brazil eat.

The government has special programs to help family farmers. On family farms, usually only family members work, sometimes with a few extra helpers. They grow important foods like much of the manioc, beans, and corn. They also raise animals, giving a lot of the milk, pork, poultry, and cattle. In 2009, most farms in Brazil were family farms.

Food security in Brazil

Many people in Brazil find it hard to get enough food, especially poor families in cities and the countryside. In 2023, about 27.6% of homes had trouble getting enough food. This means nearly 22 million families sometimes did not have enough to eat.

In 2023, the number of people with very severe hunger dropped from 8% in 2022 to 1.2%. This helped about 15 million people.

To help small farmers, Brazil started a program called PRONAF in 1994. This program gives special low-interest loans to help family farmers buy what they need. These loans grew from about $1 billion in 2000 to nearly $6 billion by 2008. This support is important because small farmers often do not have enough money, especially with big farms and international markets.

Gathering

Brazil's farming began when people took plants from the wild. Later, they started growing crops. The Portuguese were the first to take brazilwood, which gave the country its name.

Today, Brazil has special areas where people can gather plants without harming nature. However, lack of government money has made this hard. For example, many families in Acre stopped collecting rubber because it was too difficult.

In 2003, people mainly gathered timber, piassaba fibers, babassu nuts, açai berries, yerba mate leaves, carnauba wax, and Brazil nuts.

Soils

People began mapping and classifying the soils of Brazil in 1953. In 2003, IBGE made the first map. Learning about the soil helped Brazil grow more food from 1975 onward. As farming spread to the Center-West, new tools were needed because this area mostly has oxisols. These soils are good for using farm machines, even though they don’t have many nutrients.

Groups such as Embrapa Soils, the RADAM Project, the Rural University (now UFRRJ), and other experts work together to study and organize soil information.

Agribusiness

Main article: Agribusiness of Brazil

See also: Animal husbandry in Brazil

In 2010 Brazil was the third largest exporter of agricultural products in the world, behind only the United States and the European Union.

During the last two decades of the 20th century, Brazil saw a big increase in farming yields. This happened because of better seeds, fertilizers, and machines, plus government support for selling products abroad. Taxes also went down, and trade rules became easier.

Farming was a big part of GDP, including everything from seeds to selling food.

From 1990 to 2001, fewer people worked on farms, but more people worked in the wider farming industry. The number of farming businesses grew a lot during this time.

Some things that could make farming harder include pests that damage crops and problems with roads and services.

Trade balance

The 2007 harvest helped Brazil sell a lot of farm products, earning 68.1 billion dollars. In 2008, the European Union bought the most from Brazil, but China was the biggest single buyer, followed by the Netherlands and the US.

Regions

Brazil's regions have different weather, which affects what they grow. The North, Northeast, Center-West, Southeast, and South all grow different foods.

South

The southern Brazilian states are Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Paraná. Farms there often work together in groups. They grow soy, corn, wheat, rice, tobacco, grapes, apples, sugar cane, cassava and beans. They also grow orange, oats, barley, peaches, fig, onions, garlic, tangerine, persimmon and strawberry. This area is Brazil's biggest tobacco grower and the world's biggest tobacco seller.

In 2020, the South made 32% of Brazil's cereals, vegetables and oilseeds. Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul were the 2nd and 3rd biggest farm producers in the country.

Rio Grande do Sul is Brazil's biggest rice grower, making 70.5% of the country's rice in 2020. Santa Catarina was the second biggest rice grower.

Rio Grande do Sul is also Brazil's biggest tobacco grower and the world's biggest tobacco seller. Brazil is the second biggest tobacco grower in the world.

The western part of Paraná is a key place for turning grains into food for animals.

In soy, Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul are among the biggest growers in the country.

Regarding sugarcane, Paraná was, in 2017, the fifth biggest grower of cane, third of sugar and fifth of alcohol in the country.

In cassava production, Brazil made a total of 17.6 million tons in 2018. Paraná was the 2nd biggest grower in the country, and Rio Grande do Sul was 4th.

About orange, Paraná was the 3rd biggest grower in Brazil in 2018, and Rio Grande do Sul was 5th.

The South Region is the biggest grower of barley in Brazil.

Rio Grande do Sul is also the biggest grower of wheat in Brazil, another crop that needs cold weather.

The South Region is also the biggest grower of oats in Brazil.

In 2017, Paraná was the country's second biggest grower of corn.

Since 2006, Paraná has led the growth of beans in Brazil.

Rio Grande do Sul makes 90% of Brazil's grapes, and most of the country's wine, sparkling wine, and grape juice, mainly around Caxias do Sul.

The three Southern States grow 95% of Brazil's apples, with Santa Catarina leading.

Rio Grande do Sul is Brazil's biggest grower of peaches.

Rio Grande do Sul is also the biggest grower of fig in the country.

Santa Catarina is a top grower of onions and garlic.

In coffee, Paraná is the southernmost coffee-growing state in Brazil.

In 2018, Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná were the 3rd and 4th biggest growers of tangerine in Brazil. Rio Grande do Sul is also a big grower of persimmon.

In 2019, Brazil had around 4 thousand hectares of strawberry farms. Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná were the 3rd and 4th biggest growers.

Southeast

The Southeast region includes Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo. It grows the most food in Brazil, but other areas are growing fast too. It grows a lot of coffee, sugar cane and orange, plus soy, beans, peanut, sorghum, carrot, potato, banana, tangerine, lemon, papaya, persimmon, strawberry and cassava.

In 2004 the Southeast grew 49.8% of Brazil's fruits. It has many companies that help farms use computers. From 2000 to 2008, it was second in farm exports, selling things like sugar, coffee, paper, meats, and fruits such as orange juice.

In 2020, Minas Gerais was the biggest grower of Coffea arabica in Brazil. Espírito Santo was the biggest grower of Coffea canephora.

The Southeast grows most of Brazil's sugarcane. São Paulo is the biggest grower, with Minas Gerais third.

About orange, São Paulo is the biggest grower in Brazil.

Soy growing is increasing in the Southeast, but it's not one of the biggest growers.

Minas Gerais is the 2nd biggest grower of beans in Brazil and a big grower of sorghum and cotton.

São Paulo grows more than 90% of Brazil's peanuts.

São Paulo is also the biggest grower of banana, with Minas Gerais third and Espírito Santo seventh.

In cassava production, São Paulo was the 3rd biggest grower in Brazil in 2018.

São Paulo and Minas Gerais were the biggest growers of tangerine in Brazil in 2018. Espírito Santo was the biggest grower of papaya. São Paulo is the biggest grower of persimmon in Brazil.

The Southeast is the biggest grower of lemon in Brazil, with São Paulo growing 79% of the country's lemons.

Regarding carrot, Minas Gerais and São Paulo are the 2 biggest growers in Brazil.

For potato, Minas Gerais is the biggest grower in Brazil.

Midwest

The Midwest region includes Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás and Distrito Federal. Farming there started later than in other parts of Brazil, but it's growing fast. The Midwest is a top grower of soybeans, corn and sugar cane, plus tomato, beans, cotton and sorghum, and also cassava.

From 2008, the Midwest's farm output grew from 4.2 million to 49.3 million tons. In 2020, it grew 46% of Brazil's cereals, vegetables and oilseeds.

In 2020, Mato Grosso was the biggest grain grower in Brazil. Goiás was 4th, and Mato Grosso do Sul was 5th.

Goiás is the 2nd biggest grower of sugarcane in Brazil.

Mato Grosso is the biggest grower of soy in Brazil.

Goiás leads Brazil in sorghum growing.

In 2017, Mato Grosso was the biggest grower of corn in Brazil. Goiás was fourth.

Goiás is also Brazil's leader in tomato growing.

Mato Grosso is the biggest grower of cotton in Brazil.

In cassava production, Mato Grosso do Sul was 6th biggest in Brazil in 2018.

In 2019, Goiás became the leader in garlic growing in Brazil.

Northeast

The Northeast includes Bahia, Sergipe, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, Ceará, Piauí and Maranhão. Most farms are family-run. The region grows cashew nuts, sugar cane, cocoa and many tropical fruits such as coconut, papaya, melon, banana, mango, pineapple and guarana. It also grows soy, corn, beans, cassava and orange.

The Northeast often has long dry periods, especially during El Niño years. This can cause people to move away from farming. The government helps with dams and moving water from the São Francisco River. The worst recent dry times were in 1993, 1998 and 1999.

In 2017, the Northeast was the biggest grower of coconut in Brazil. However, it faces competition from other countries.

The Northeast grows almost all of Brazil's cashew nuts. In recent years, it has faced competition from African countries.

In cocoa growing, Bahia used to be the leader, but now competes with Pará.

In 2018, the Northeast was third in sugar cane growing in Brazil. Alagoas was the biggest grower in the Northeast.

Bahia is the 2nd biggest cotton grower in Brazil.

In soy, the Northeast grew about 10% of Brazil's total in 2019.

In corn growing, Bahia was the biggest in the Northeast in 2018.

In beans, the Northeast was the fourth biggest grower in Brazil in 2018.

In cassava production, Maranhão, Ceará and Bahia were among the top growers in 2018.

About orange, Bahia was the 4th biggest grower in Brazil in 2018.

Bahia is the second biggest fruit grower in Brazil, with many different kinds of fruit.

Rio Grande do Norte is the biggest grower of melon in Brazil.

In papaya growing, Bahia was the 2nd biggest in Brazil in 2018.

Bahia was the biggest grower of mango in Brazil in 2019.

In banana growing, Bahia was the 2nd biggest in Brazil in 2018. Pernambuco was 5th.

Regarding pineapple, Paraíba was the 2nd biggest grower in Brazil in 2018.

Bahia is the biggest grower of guaraná in Brazil.

North

The Northern region includes Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima and Tocantins. The Amazon rainforest covers much of this area. The region grows cassava and many tropical fruits such as açaí, pineapple, coconut, cocoa, banana and guarana, plus Brazil nut, black pepper and soy.

Between the late 1800s and early 1900s, the region produced rubber, which was Brazil's biggest export until Asian production made it less important.

In cassava production, Pará was the biggest grower in Brazil in 2018.

In 2019, Pará produced 95% of açaí in Brazil.

Pará was the biggest grower of pineapple in Brazil in 2018.

Pará is also a big grower of coconut.

Pará is the 2nd biggest grower of black pepper in Brazil.

The Brazil nut has been an important product from the North. Recently, farms have started growing them on a large scale.

In cocoa growing, Pará competes with Bahia for the lead.

Amazonas is the 2nd biggest grower of guaraná in Brazil.

In soy, Tocantins, Pará and Rondônia are important growers.

Products

The main farming products in Brazil include cattle, coffee, cotton, corn, rice, soy, wheat, sugarcane, tobacco, beans, flowers, fruits, trees, vegetables and cassava.

Cattle

Brazil became a top beef exporter in 2003. Cattle are mostly found in Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás and Minas Gerais.

Coffee

Brazil is the world's biggest coffee maker. Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo and São Paulo lead production.

Cotton

Brazil grew more cotton over time. Mato Grosso and Bahia now lead.

Corn

Brazil harvests corn twice a year. Mato Grosso, Paraná, Goiás and others lead production.

Rice

Brazil went from exporting to importing rice. Rio Grande do Sul is now the biggest producer.

Soybean

Brazil is the world's top soybean producer. Mato Grosso, Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul lead. There are efforts to protect forests from farming expansion.

Wheat

Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul make most of Brazil's wheat, but the country still imports a lot.

Sugarcane

Brazil leads the world in sugarcane. It is mainly grown in São Paulo and used for sugar and fuel.

Tobacco

Brazil is a major tobacco maker and exporter, mainly from the South.

Beans

Brazil is a top beans producer. Paraná now leads.

Floriculture and ornamentals

Thousands grow flowers and plants, mainly in São Paulo.

Fruits and perennials

Brazil grows many fruits like oranges, bananas and apples. São Paulo leads.

Forestry and wood

Eucalyptus trees are common for wood products. There are efforts to use local trees more.

Vegetables

Brazil grows lots of vegetables. The South and Southeast lead, and exports include potatoes and tomatoes.

Tomato

Brazil is a top tomato producer. Goiás and São Paulo lead.

Onion

Small farms make much of Brazil's onions. Juazeiro and Petrolina lead.

Cassava

Brazil is the world's second biggest cassava maker. It is grown everywhere for food and animals.

Controversies

Land use changes

Further information: Land use, land-use change, and forestry; Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest; and Climate change in Brazil

In places like the Amazon rainforest, forests are cleared to grow crops such as soy and palm oil, or to create grassland for cattle. This has caused a lot of deforestation.

In 2024, Brazil had a very strong drought, the worst since records began in the 1950s. This drought affected many crops such as soybeans, maize, and coffee.

Slave and child labor

Brazil has had problems with unfair working conditions on farms. Some workers were treated very badly. Rules were made to stop this, but some farms still use children or make workers work in hard conditions.

Soil erosion

Much of Brazil’s land can easily lose its soil. Farming practices like plowing can make soil wash away, which harms the land and rivers.

Pesticide

Brazil uses many chemicals to protect crops, but sometimes these chemicals can harm the environment and people. Some of these chemicals are not allowed in other countries.

Genetically modified crops

Main article: Genetically modified crops

Brazil grows a lot of crops that have been changed in a lab to make them stronger. Some people worry this could hurt the environment or help only big companies. But others say it has benefits. Foods with these changed crops must be labeled in Brazil.

Impact on genetic diversity

Further information: Genetic diversity § In agriculture

The Amazon rainforest helps provide important genes for crops and other plants.