Bibliometrics in Brazilian research on accelerated soil erosion: institutions, topics, space and chronology

Apesar do constante aumento na quantidade e diversidade de publicações acerca da erosão do solo no Brasil e no mundo, as grandes questões dessa ciência ainda não foram respondidas. Os possíveis motivos desse descompasso trazem à tona a necessidade de discutir o papel da pesquisa em erosão. A bibliometria permite uma visão abrangente da ciência, fornecendo perspectivas, contudo estudos que fazem uso dessas técnicas são escassos no mundo, bem como no Brasil. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram analisar as distribuições espacial, temporal, institucional e temática da pesquisa brasileira em erosão acelerada do solo a partir da divisão dos artigos em linhas temáticas e discutir a profundidade da abordagem das questões fundamentais em erosão. Para isso, 225 artigos de instituições brasileiras cujo tema central é a erosão do solo foram digitalizados, cadastrados em banco de dados e classificados em cinco linhas temáticas. Também foram produzidos mapas multitemporais a partir de ferramentas de geoprocessamento. A pesquisa brasileira em erosão, além de recente, está concentrada: (a) em poucas instituições, localizadas nas regiões Sul e Sudeste; e (b) em dois temas, centrados na Equação Universal de Perda de Solo e em comparações de manejos agrícolas quanto à perda de solo, com grande influência do nível de consolidação dos núcleos de pesquisa, que têm nesses dois temas centrais sua iniciação na pesquisa em erosão acelerada do solo.Despite the increasing number and diversity of publications related to soil erosion in Brazil and throughout the world, the central questions of this science remain unanswered. The possible reasons for this imbalance highlight the need to reconsider the role of research on soil erosion. Bibliometric studies can provide ample view of the research field, describing perspectives, but research using this approach is scarce in international as well as in Brazilian literature. The objective of this study was to analyze the spatial, temporal, institutional and topical distribution of Brazilian research on accelerated soil erosion based on the organization of articles according to thematic lines and to discuss the depth of the approach to the fundamental issues of erosion in order to establish a bibliometric perspective. For this purpose, 225 articles of Brazilian institutions focused on soil erosion were scanned, registered in a database and classified into five thematic lines. Besides, multi-temporal maps were drawn using GIS tools. Brazilian research on erosion is recent and is characterized by: (a) concentration in few institutions in the southern and southeastern Brazil, (b) focused on two issues, related to the Universal Soil Loss Equation and comparisons of agricultural managements as related to soil loss, with a considerable influence of the consolidation level of the research centers, which have developed research on accelerated soil erosion along these two lines

Bibliometrics, history and geography of Brazilian research on accelerated soil erosion

Há poucos estudos sobre a história da ciência do solo e, no Brasil, essa matéria ainda não recebeu maior atenção por parte de sua comunidade científica. Este trabalho focaliza a formação histórica da pesquisa brasileira em erosão acelerada do solo a partir de uma análise bibliométrica e geográfica, com base numa ampla compilação de artigos científicos publicados sobre o tema por autores vinculados a instituições brasileiras. A metodologia envolveu o armazenamento, em um banco de dados dimensional, estruturado especificamente para esse objetivo, de informações espaciais e bibliométricas. Indicadores quantitativos foram calculados, e a geografia da pesquisa foi mapeada por meio de consultas SQL e ferramentas de geoprocessamento. Os resultados apontaram para gênese recente da pesquisa brasileira em erosão acelerada do solo e centralização da produção científica e formação de linhas em instituições e autores do Sul e Sudeste do Brasil. Ainda, a análise dos dados temáticos indicou predominância do enfoque da erosão a partir de uma perspectiva agrícola e grande ênfase na pesquisa dos fatores do modelo USLE de estimativa de erosão.Soil science history studies are rare and the Brazilian scientific community has not given substantial attention to this subject yet. The present study focused on the formation of research on accelerated soil erosion in the Brazil from a bibliometric perspective. A comprehensive database of published scientific papers was organized in a relational database and analyzed by SQL queries and GIS tools. These data were used to calculate quantitative indicators and spatial distribution patterns. Results indicate a recent development of research on accelerated soil erosion in Brazil by few institutions and authors in the South and Southeast regions. Moreover, a thematic analysis indicated the agricultural perspective as the main focus of erosion studies, with a great emphasis on the USLE prediction model

A dinâmica da expansão agropecuária no Brasil

Brazil is one of the most important global agricultural players. In the last decades, agricultural production has increased drastically as a result of expansion in area and productivity growth, which made Brazil a worldwide leading producer of beef, soybean, sugar, ethanol broiler and coffee. The difficulties of world stock renewal and the sharp consumption increase especially of grains such as corn, soybean and wheat result in favorable conditions for agricultural leading regions to continue increasing production. However, there is a lack of evidence-based research at large scale that address complex land-use changes dynamics related to agricultural growth of area and productivity. The purpose of this thesis is to approach controversial or under-investigated key-points of this central issue by using spatial modeling and open access databases. First, the availability of areas suitable for cropland expansion was estimated trough a spatially explicit model at national scale. Second, the effects of productivity changes on area changes were investigated both for pasture and cropland by a long-term retrospective spatial analysis that covered the period 1960-2006. Third, a comprehensive and effective spatial model using key variables was developed to identify the Brazilian agricultural frontier. Forth, the relationship between deforestation, cropland expansion and pasture expansion was analyzed in the Legal Amazon region and evidences for a better understanding of causal-effect relation in land-use change were suggested. The assembly of papers led to the following main findings: (i) Brazil has a huge amount of land covered by pastures (122 million hectares) with suitable biophysical conditions for intensive crop production; (ii) Historically, there is a clear distinction in landuse dynamics between agriculturally consolidated areas and the agricultural frontier. In agriculturally consolidated areas, cropland yield increases have been associated with pasture intensification and stability or contraction in total farmland area. In contrast, in agricultural frontier areas, cropland yield increases have been associated with agricultural expansion; (iii) Spatial examination of land use transitions since 1960 illustrates the expansion and gradual movement of the agricultural frontier towards the inland of Brazil. However, it also suggests the possible initiation of a reversed trend, i.e. agricultural contraction, in steep areas of the Southeast within the Atlantic Forest biome, which might be in line with the Forest Transition theory (FT); (iv) In Legal Amazon during 2000-2009, cattle population growth, cropland expansion and deforestation were in general concurrent at the municipal level, suggesting a need for modifying the widespread notion of cropland expansion in consolidated regions as a prime causal factor of indirect deforestation through displacement of pastures from these regions to frontier regions.O Brasil tem uma importante atuação na agricultura mundial. Nas últimas décadas, a produção agrícola tem aumentado intensamente como resultado da expansão tanto em área quanto em produtividade, levando o Brasil a se tornar um produtor líder mundial de carne bovina, soja, açúcar, frango e café. As dificuldades de renovação de estoques mundiais e o aumento acentuado do consumo, especialmente de grãos tais como milho, soja e trigo resultam em condições favoráveis para as principais regiões agrícolas continuarem aumentando a produção. No entanto, há uma falta de pesquisas com base empírica em grande escala que abordem a complexa dinâmica das mudanças no uso da terra relacionadas ao crescimento agrícola de área e de produtividade. O objetivo deste trabalho é abordar os controversos ou pouco investigados pontos essenciais desta questão central por meio de modelagem espacial e bases de dados de acesso aberto. Em primeiro lugar, a disponibilidade de áreas adequadas para a expansão da lavoura foi estimada por meio de um modelo espacialmente explícito em escala nacional. Em seguida, os efeitos das mudanças de produtividade sobre as mudanças de área foram investigados tanto para pastagem e agricultura através de uma análise espacial retrospectiva de longo prazo que abrangeu o período de 1960 a 2006. Posteriormente, um modelo espacial eficaz utilizando variáveischave de levantamento periódico por órgãos oficiais foi desenvolvido para identificar a fronteira agrícola brasileira. Por fim, foi analisada a relação entre desmatamento, expansão da lavoura e expansão da pastagem na região da Amazônia Legal e foram sugeridas evidências para um melhor entendimento da relação entre causa e efeito na mudança do uso da terra. O conjunto de artigos conduziu às seguintes principais conclusões: (i) O Brasil tem uma enorme quantidade de terras cobertas por pastagens (122 milhões de hectares) com condiçoes favoráveis para produção intensiva de culturas agrícolas anuais. (ii) Historicamente, há uma distinção clara na dinâmica de uso da terra entre as áreas agriculturáveis já consolidadas e a fronteira agrícola. Em áreas agrícolas consolidadas, aumentos na produtividade têm sido associados à intensificação de pastagens e à estabilidade ou a diminuição da área agrícola total. Por outro lado, em áreas de fronteira agrícola, o aumento na produtividade tem sido associado com a expansão agrícola. (iii) A análise espacial de transições de uso da terra desde 1960 ilustra a expansão e o movimento gradual da fronteira agrícola em direção ao interior do Brasil. No entanto, também sugere a possível abertura de uma tendência inversa, ou seja, contração agrícola em áreas íngremes do Sudeste dentro do bioma Mata Atlântica, que pode estar de acordo com a teoria da transição florestal (FT). (iv) Na Amazônia Legal, entre 2000 e 2009, crescimento do efetivo bovino, a expansão da agricultura e o desmatamento aconteceram, em geral, de forma silmultânea nos municípios, sugerindo a necessidade de modificar a noção generalizada da expansão de áreas cultiváveis em regiões consolidadas como um fator primordial para o desmatamento indireto por meio do deslocamento de pastagens dessas regiões para regiões de fronteira agrícola

History and geography of brazilian soil erosion research

Há poucos estudos em história da ciência do solo e no Brasil essa matéria praticamente ainda não recebeu atenção pela comunidade científica. Este trabalho focaliza a formação da pesquisa brasileira em erosão do solo a partir de uma análise bibliométrica e geográfica. Foi feita uma compilação de todos os artigos científicos publicados sobre o tema por autores vinculados a instituições brasileiras e subseqüente armazenamento em um modelo de banco de dados dimensional estruturado especificamente para esse objetivo. Indicadores quantitativos foram calculados e a geografia da pesquisa mapeada por meio de consultas SQL e ferramentas de geoprocessamento. Os resultados apontaram para uma gênese recente da pesquisa brasileira em erosão do solo e a uma centralização da produção científica e formação de linhas em instituições e autores do Sul e Sudeste do Brasi. Ainda, a análise dos dados temáticos indicou uma convergência ao enfoque da erosão sob uma perspectiva eminentemente agrícola e grande ênfase à pesquisa dos fatores do modelo USLE de estimativa de erosão.Studies of soil science history are rare and Brazilian scientific community has not given attention to this subject yet. The present study focus on the formation of brazilian soil erosion research from a bibliometric approach. A wide set of published scientific papers was organized into a relational database an analized by means of SQL queries and GIS tools. Quantitative indicators were calculated and the research geography mapped. The results point to a quite recent genesis of brazilian soil erosion research and its tendency to be centralized in a few institutions and authors from South and Southeast of Brazil. Furthermore, thematic data analysis indicates a convergence in erosion studies mainly under an agricultural perspective, and a great emphasis on USLE soil erosion prediction model

The revision of the Brazilian Forest Act: increased deforestation or a historic step towards balancing agricultural development and nature conservation?

Almost two-thirds of the Brazilian territory still has prevalence of natural vegetation. Although not all pristine, much of these areas have high conservation value. 170 million hectare (Mha) of the natural vegetation is located within Federal and State protected areas. Most of the remaining 367 Mha is on private agriculture lands, where the Forest Act is the most important legal framework for conservation. In July 2010, the Brazilian parliament began the analysis of a substitutive legislation for the Forest Act. The main motivations for the revision is that, on the one hand, it has been found ineffective in protecting natural vegetation, and on the other hand, it is perceived as a barrier against development in the agriculture sector. The substitutive Forest Act, as it presently stands, does not represent a balance between existing standpoints and objectives; it may drive development towards either more private protection through market-driven compensation actions, or increased deforestation and less nature protection/restoration. This article uses outcomes from modeling analyses to discuss weaknesses of the substitutive Forest Act and to suggest possible improvements. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Effects of Governance on Availability of Land for Agriculture and Conservation in Brazil

The 2012 revision of the Brazilian Forest Act changed the relative importance of private and public governance for nature conservation and agricultural production. We present a spatially explicit land-use model for Brazilian agricultural production and nature conservation that considers the spatial distribution of agricultural land suitability, technological and management options, legal command, and control frameworks including the Atlantic Forest Law, the revised Forest Act, and the Amazonian land-titling, “Terra Legal,” and also market-driven land use regulations. The model is used to analyze land use allocation under three scenarios with varying priorities among agricultural production and environmental protection objectives. In all scenarios, the legal command and control frameworks were the most important determinants of conservation outcomes, protecting at least 80% of the existing natural vegetation. Situations where such frameworks are not expected to be effective can be identified and targeted for additional conservation (beyond legal requirements) through voluntary actions or self-regulation in response to markets. All scenarios allow for a substantial increase in crop production, using an area 1.5–2.7 times the current cropland area, with much of new cropland occurring on current pastureland. Current public arrangements that promote conservation can, in conjunction with voluntary schemes on private lands where conversion to agriculture is favored, provide important additional nature conservation without conflicting with national agricultural production objectives

Moving towards a sustainable soybean supply chain – a sustainable policy toolbox for Brazilian stakeholders and other global actors

This paper takes stock of over two years of research led by different partners of the UKRI GCRF Trade, Development and the Environment Hub and explores different policies and instruments that have the potential to increase the level of sustainability of the soybean supply chain in Brazil – the world’s largest producer and exporter of this crop – and elsewhere in the world. Soybean is one of the most important agricultural commodities in the international market, and the number and the nature of sustainability measures, policies, and initiatives in the Brazilian and in the global soybean supply chain have increased exponentially. However, the extraordinary expansion of soybean cultivation to be associated with a range of negative socio-economic and environmental impacts. Over the last 15 years, various measures and policies have been designed and implemented to address the sustainability concerns surrounding the entire soybean life cycle, but – despite some progress – none has proven to be entirely successful yet. Hence, the question of how to best design and harmonise sustainable policy instruments in the soybean supply chain remains open. In this paper, we initially describe the main features of the Brazilian soybean supply chain – both domestically and in terms of its role in global trade flows – and the wide spectrum of related impacts on the economy, society, and natural ecosystems. Acknowledging that the boundaries between the different types of sustainability measures across the soybean supply chain can be blurred, we organise different measures into broad institutional categories – starting from international, multilateral, and bilateral agreements, moving then to domestic policies and regulations, later concentrating our attention on voluntary tools, and finally exploring other sustainability measures not included in previous groups. We review and discuss strengths and limitations associated with each measure, developing an original and intuitive visualisation framework to position different measures within the institutional landscape, pointing out their jurisdictional boundaries and highlighting the set of stakeholders vested with the power to influence the design and implementation of various instruments. In the conclusion, we point out three key considerations. First, the same tool can have heterogeneous impacts on different communities and territories – both below and beyond national-level boundaries. Second, while sustainability measures in the soybean supply chain have increased in number and diversified in their scope, their level of integration and harmonisation is still limited, requiring further efforts for the identification of the optimal policy mix to ensure their effectiveness. Third, different measures typically address only a narrow set of dimensions of the broader social and environmental sustainability spectrum, and the level of integration of different instruments across geographies and stakeholders appears to be still limited to address global sustainability concerns in an harmonised and holistic manner