Application of Geotechnologies in the Development of Sustainable Agriculture in Brazil

Abstract

The global consumption of food, water, fibers and energy is growing at exponential rates. Brazil has become a player of the world economy by becoming an important agricultural producer, and the country has technical and agronomic conditions to produce with quality and sustainability. However, there is a need for more site-specific natural resource management for judicious use of agricultural inputs to promote productivity and ecosystem services. The issue is particularly urgent, as population in rural areas have been migrating to cities for several reasons. Science may decisively contribute to agriculture with sustainability through management procedures that use remote sensing and precision farming. Remote sensing monitoring plays a critical role in supporting strategic decision-making, and to define private and public policies. New researches and innovations have changed rapidly, due to advances in information technology and geotechnology, supported by great data availability, new processing algorithms, data fusion, and developments in data mining. The present review paper aims to present actions of Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation and collaborating organizations in the application of remote sensing and geospatial databases in the monitoring of Brazilian agriculture.