Irrigation as a strategy for adapting to climate change and intensifying agriculture in Mato Grosso

• Ano de defesa: 2024
• Autor(a) principal: Vitorino, Flávia Barros
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: eng
• Instituição de defesa: Universidade Federal de Viçosa; Meteorologia Aplicada
• Palavras-chave em Português: Meteorologia Aplicada; CIENCIAS EXATAS E DA TERRA::GEOCIENCIAS::METEOROLOGIA::CLIMATOLOGIA
• Link de acesso: https://locus.ufv.br/handle/123456789/33463; https://doi.org/10.47328/ufvbbt.2024.795

Mato Grosso is a major contributor to Brazil’s agriculture, leading in soybean, maize, and cotton production. In 2023/2024, the state’s 12.7 million hectares of soybeans yielded 39 million tons, while maize and cotton, planted as secondary crops on 7 million and 1.5 million hectares, respectively, also produced strong yields. Approximately only 135,000 hectares are currently irrigated using center pivot, with most agriculture relying on rainfed systems and double cropping, which depends on a rainy season lasting at least 200 days. However, climate change threatens this model, with projected temperature increases, higher vapor pressure deficits, and altered precipitation patterns leading to shorter rainy seasons and increased water stress, potentially lowering yields—estimated to drop by 30 kg/ha per day of reduced rainy season duration. Given these challenges, this study explores irrigation as a climate adaptation strategy, integrating regional evapotranspiration, irrigation water uptake, discharge regionalization, and land suitability analyses. Findings indicate that agricultural intensification through irrigation is possible without additional deforestation, with over 6 million hectares for expansion under a shared water management system and nearly 2 million hectares under the current individual water granting system. However, limitations in Mato Grosso’s monitoring network underscore the need for enhanced water data and robust management to support long-term irrigation expansion sustainably. Keywords: irrigation; climate change; double cropping; water stress; intensification.