Soil degradation and yield in the sustainability context considering a multiscale approach

• Grant number: 19/16235-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: September 01, 2019
• End date: May 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Celso von Randow
• Grantee: Henrique Ferro Duarte
• Host Institution: Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE). Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brasil). São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 17/22269-2 - Transition to sustainability and agriculture-energy-water nexus: exploring an integrated approach with case studies in the Cerrado and Caatinga, AP.PFPMCG.TEM

Abstract

Soil is a key resource for the sustainable development and for processes related to the energy-food-environment nexus. The goal of this proposal is associated to the thematic project "Transition to sustainability and the agriculture-energy-water nexus: exploring an integrative approach with case studies in the Cerrado and Caatinga biomes" and we will generate a Soil Degradation Index (SDI), an index that has a potential for analyse the soil resource exploitation limit based on the land use. From this step, we will also evaluate the climate change impacts on the sugarcane, soybean and corn potential yield, from an agroclimatic zoning method. This methodology proposed in this study has an important consideration that is to extend the entire database to a regional scale, in a high resolution, including the erosion modeling and the Soil Life-time Index (ITVS), both pillars for the construction of Soil Degradation Index (SDI) in the Cerrado and Caatinga regions. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), which relates biophysical and anthropic aspects, will be considered in this research. We will also analyse some locations in the Parnaíba and São Francisco rivers basins in a municipal scale whose locations will be selected during the thematic project execution. Regarding the sugarcane, soybean and maize yield, a water balance method to estimate spatially the potential productivity will used and then we will consider the climatic positive or negative trends based on the climatic projections of the models AR5/IPCC in order to verify the yield oscillations in some locations in the study area. We expected that this research could generate data for supporting discussions concerning the soil exploration, a fundamental resource for economic development and guarantee of food and energy supply in the study areas. (AU)