INSIGHTS THE DYNAMICS OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION IN BRAZIL

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the adoption of three agricultural intensification technologies in Brazil between 2006 and 2017: the Direct Planting System (DPS), tractors, and fertilizers. Using data from Brazil's 2017 Agricultural Census, the study identifies divergent spatial patterns of adoption, noting that while DPS is becoming more widespread, tractor use is becoming more concentrated in wealthier regions, and fertilizer use is increasing without a clear spatial pattern.

• The adoption of the Direct Planting System (DPS), a no-till soil conservation technique, showed a converging pattern of growth between 2006 and 2017. The percentage of cropland using DPS increased from 17.4% to 38.8% nationwide, with the most significant growth occurring in crop-producing municipalities in the Center-West and Matopiba regions, as well as parts of Rio Grande do Sul.
• Tractor use, serving as a proxy for agricultural mechanization, is diverging and becoming more concentrated in the richest and most urbanized areas of the South and Southeast. Between 2006 and 2017, the average number of tractors per municipality rose from 315 to 500, and the gap in tractor use between the 75th and 25th percentiles of municipalities increased by approximately 20%.
• The share of farmers using fertilizers increased from 25% to 35% between 2006 and 2017, but this growth lacks 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, with econometric models indicating that growth is not linked to initial usage levels.
• General agricultural productivity in Brazil has been supported by a broad increase in inputs over the last decade, including a rise in tractor and harvester sales from 23,000 to 40,700 units per year and an increase in nitrogen-based fertilizer consumption from 24.4 to 34.4 million tons per year.

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} }