Environmental assessment of pesticide use in the cerrado region of Brazil

Avaliação ambiental do uso de agrotóxicos na região do cerrado do Brasil

Evaluación ambiental del uso de plaguicidas en la región del cerrado de Brasil

Abstract

The Cerrado in Central Brazil is composed of unique vegetation types with a large source of bioactive compounds. The 1970s and 1980s were marked by the intensive incorporation of these forested areas into pastures and cropland, which increased the consumption of pesticides like glyphosate and atrazine. Today there continues to be a constant loss of native vegetation in this biome, and the pressure from land use is causing significant losses of native vegetation, driven mainly by agricultural expansion. This article offers a mapping of the estimated average consumption of pesticide per crop as well as an understanding of the risks associated with glyphosate and atrazine contamination in the state of Goiás. Both of these areas serve as a basis for understanding the challenges and opportunities for sustainability associated with agriculture in the Brazilian Cerrado.

Keywords:
Brazilian Cerrado; environmental history; pesticide; agricultural frontier; polymorphism