Land use change from the sugar cane expansion in the western region of Sao Paulo state, Brazil

Abstract

The demand for energy alternatives to oil are increasing global biofuel production and, consequently, the biofuel crops cultivation. In Brazil, the emergence of flex-fuel vehicles resumed the importance of ethanol production, resulting in a new phase of Brazilian sugar cane crop expansion. Several issues related to the sustainability of biofuel production have been discussed in the literature, such as the effect on food production and food security, the environmental impact of land use change and social effects in the field. This study aims to analyze the land use change in the Oeste Paulista region, caused by the expansion of sugar cane cultivation. Between 2003 and 2012, the Oeste Paulista region represented more than half of the expansion of this crop in Sao Paulo state, the largest producer in Brazil. This paper used the Shift-Share model to decompose the agricultural areas variation and to calculate the replacement of the main activities analyzed The results revealed that, in the analyzed region, the expansion of sugar cane area has occurred predominantly by replacing pasture and, consequently, by cattle activity.