TITLE:
Feasibility Assessment of Sugarcane Expansion in Southwest Goiás, Brazil Based on the GIS Technology
AUTHORS:
Bruno Cardoso Pedrosa, Tuani Cristine Lima de Souza, Ana Paula Dias Turetta, Heitor Luis da Costa Coutinho
KEYWORDS:
GIS, Land Use and Land Cover, Sugarcane Expansion, Sustainability
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geographic Information System,
Vol.8 No.2,
March
31,
2016
ABSTRACT: The current study approaches the
sugarcane culture expansion in Southwestern Goiás, especially in Mineiros,
Quirinópolis and Rio Verde counties, which represent different times and
responses to this process. The current logistics structure and future prospects
for sugarcane and its derivatives transportation are studied at national level
with emphasis to the aforementioned micro-region. Maps showing land use and
land cover in three different years were generated from Landsat TM-5 satellite
images and they were used to analyze the dynamics of changes in land use and in
land cover. The region is marked by strong and rapid growth in the agricultural
sector and its sugar-energy industry has been expanding in recent years,
although with different aspects among its counties. Since it is a promising
region in this sector, due to the favorable soil and weather conditions to the
crop, the region requires more investment and planning in logistics to ensure production
flow and to make it stronger within domestic and foreign markets.