INSIGHTS THE DYNAMICS OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION IN BRAZIL

The report identifies three distinct patterns of agricultural technology adoption in Brazil from 2006 to 2017. The Direct Planting System (DPS) is converging, becoming more widespread across the country. Tractor use is diverging, with increased concentration in wealthier, urbanized regions of the South and Southeast. Fertilizer use has increased overall but lacks a clear spatial pattern, with growth scattered across diverse regions including the Cerrado and Caatinga.

• The adoption of the Direct Planting System (DPS), a no-till soil conservation technique, is converging across Brazil. The percentage of cropland using this method rose from 17.4% in 2006 to 38.8% in 2017, with the most significant growth occurring in crop-producing municipalities in the Center-West and Matopiba regions, as well as previously underused areas in southern Rio Grande do Sul.
• Tractor use is diverging, meaning it is becoming more concentrated in specific areas. While the national average density of tractors increased from 0.25 to 0.35 per square kilometer (an average increase from 315 to 500 tractors per municipality), the largest increases occurred in the already mechanized, wealthier, and more urbanized areas of the South and Southeast. The gap in tractor use between the 75th and 25th percentiles of municipalities grew by approximately 20% between 2006 and 2017.
• The share of farmers using fertilizers increased from 25% to 35% between 2006 and 2017, but this growth does not follow a clear spatial pattern. Increases were observed in diverse areas, including the Cerrado lands in central Mato Grosso and irrigated Caatinga lands bordering Bahia, Pernambuco, and Sergipe, and econometric models indicate that growth is not linked to initial levels of fertilizer use.

APA

Bragança, A. (2018). INSIGHTS THE DYNAMICS OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION IN BRAZIL. Climate Policy Initiative. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/The-Dynamics-of-Agricultural-Technology-Adoption-in-Brazil.pdf

Chicago

Bragança, Arthur. INSIGHTS THE DYNAMICS OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION IN BRAZIL. Climate Policy Initiative, 2018. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/The-Dynamics-of-Agricultural-Technology-Adoption-in-Brazil.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bragança |first1=Arthur |title=INSIGHTS THE DYNAMICS OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION IN BRAZIL |publisher=Climate Policy Initiative |date=October 2018 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/The-Dynamics-of-Agricultural-Technology-Adoption-in-Brazil.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bragana2018insights, author = {Bragança, Arthur}, title = {{INSIGHTS THE DYNAMICS OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION IN BRAZIL}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2018}, month = oct, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/The-Dynamics-of-Agricultural-Technology-Adoption-in-Brazil.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }