In order to contribute with the methodology of identification of land use potentialities, this paper presents a proposal of agroecologic zoning of the quadrangle (21o00'S at 21o30'S and 47o30'W to 48o00'W), of the county of Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil, based on soil, relief and climate characteristics, in a GIS environment. Data of air temperature and rainfall of 22 locations from 1967 to 1996 were used to characterize the thermo-hydric regime of the area. Criteria were adopted according to the capacity of land use. The zoning identified six units of land use: agriculture (I); agriculture (II); agriculture (III); cattle; agroforest systems and preservation. It was concluded that the quadrangle has: a relative climatic uniformity; the dominant zone is the agriculture (I); about 82.5% of the land is suitable for agriculture and 10.4% should be preserved or used according to conservation guidelines.
climate; relief; soil; GIS
