THE USE OF FERTILIZERS WITH PRECISION AGRICULTURE IN SOYBEAN, CORN, SUGARCANE, AND COFFEE CROPS

• Grant number: 23/12661-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2024
• End date: January 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Economics - Agrarian and Natural Resource Economics
• Principal Investigator: Jeronimo Alves dos Santos
• Grantee: Ádely de Cassia Xavier dos Santos
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Agrárias (CCA). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). Araras , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This research aims to conduct an economic and technical comparative study of the use of Precision Agriculture (PA) in the application of fertilizers in Brazil's four major agricultural crops, namely: soybean, corn, sugarcane, and coffee. The specific objectives of this study include: a) gathering comprehensive technical and economic information about these four prominent crops in the Brazilian context; b) evaluating potential gains in technical and economic efficiency when implementing PA for optimizing fertilizer use in these crops.The methodology employed in this study is grounded in exploratory research and literature review, using a quantitative and qualitative approach. The method involves the analysis of numerical data obtained from existing literature reviews to compare the economic feasibility of conventional and precision agriculture systems in terms of fertilizer optimization.This research is expected to provide a clear analysis of the economic advantages and disadvantages associated with the use of Precision Agriculture compared to conventional agriculture in Brazil's four major agricultural crops, taking into account production costs based on data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) in 2021. Additionally, the study aims to identify the key technical factors influencing these advantages or disadvantages.