Analysis of agricultural intensification in a basin with remote sensing data

• Published in: GIScience and remote sensing Vol. 51; no. 3; pp. 253 - 268
• Main Authors: de Oliveira, Julio Cesar, Trabaquini, Kleber, Epiphanio, José Carlos Neves, Formaggio, Antônio Roberto, Galvão, Lênio Soares, Adami, Marcos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis 04-05-2014
• Subjects: agricultural intensification; basins; corn; cotton; crop expansion; cropland; cropping systems; double cropping; growing season; Landsat; moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer; remote sensing; river basin; soil; soybeans; spatial data; time series; time series analysis; vegetation index; watersheds; Brazil
• ISSN: 1943-7226; 1548-1603; 1943-7226
• DOI: 10.1080/15481603.2014.909108

The last few decades have been marked by important changes in the Brazilian agriculture, especially with respect to crop-management practices. This study aimed to analyze the dynamics of cropping systems in a typical agricultural river basin in the state of Mato Grosso. Landsat satellite images and time series of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer vegetation index profiles were analyzed from 2000 to 2010. First, we assessed the horizontal expansion that occurred in the agricultural areas. Subsequently, using the product MOD13Q1, some metrics were established to identify the vertical intensification of soil use (single- or double-cropping systems). Results showed stagnation in the expansion of new deforested areas for agriculture in the 2003/2004 growing season, with simultaneous vertical intensification of agriculture. The adoption of the double-cropping system (e.g., soybean/corn and soybean/cotton) expanded by 266% during the studied period and reached 56% of the croplands in the 2009/2010 growing season.