Agricultura de precisão no Brasil: fatores condicionantes, perfil sócio econômico e perspectivas

Abstract

This research deals with the socioeconomic profile of Brazilian producers that adopt Precision Agriculture (PA), their levels of satisfaction with technology, the most employed techniques, the constraints to the adoption and dissemination, impacts on productivity, use of inputs and levels of management. It is an exploratory descriptive research, of opinion, with random sampling, where the sample consisted of 47 farmers of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), who grow soy, corn, wheat and irrigated rice, and 19 companies that operate in 11 Brazilian states. In the research, quantitative and qualitative data were used, analyzed through univariate and bivariate statistical methodology. The results indicated a majority age group between 40 and 50 years old with pre-school graduation and high school. The size of the property influences the adoption of the PA to the extent that, the relation of the adopters with the increased land distribution grows, as the size of the areas increases, indicating that bigger properties favor the use of this technology. The time of PA adoption is usually up to 6 years, with almost 50% of users, although the practice is known for more than three decades. The main ways in which farmers get to know the technology are fairs, exhibitions, comercial visits and other producers that serve as a reference. The cooperatives, universities and research bodies are mentioned as information, but their reach is limited. The most used techniques, other than autopilot, are those related to the improvement of fertility and acidity correction. The precise sowing of plants population adjusted in management or environmental zones is recent and in clear expansion and has the potential to grouw in a short time. The size of the sampling grid of predominant soil in Brazil is 3 ha, whereas in RS it is 1 ha. The increasing productivity, predominantly, is on the average around 10%, but very influenced by the intrinsic conditions of the area. The producers have shown a high level of satisfaction with the technology and service providers, materialized, on the intention to increase the areas. Among the benefits received are the improvement of the management and productivity. The main limiting factors for the adoption of PA are its cost, lack of skilled labor and support information, lack of specific public policies and the lack of communication infrastructure.