Spatial and temporal comparison of agricultural production in the semi-arid region of Ceará state, Brazil in the years 1996, 2006 and 2017

Abstract

The study evaluated the synergy between rainfall and indicators of vegetation cover, land productivity and wealth generation in the rural sector of municipalities in the semi-arid region of Ceará. Data from the 1995/96, 2006 and 2017 Agricultural Censuses were used. The study also sought to assess the behavior of Ceará's climatic regions with regard to rainfall. Rainfall data was collected from the Ceará Foundation for Meteorology and Water Resources (FUNCEME), and information on vegetation cover, land productivity in crop and animal production was collected from the 1995/96, 2006 and 2017 IBGE Agricultural Censuses. Information on the GDP of the municipalities was also sought from other IBGE documents that publish this information. The study created the agricultural production preservation index (IPCP), which was used to capture the synergy between the indicators. Factor analysis was used for this purpose. The results found served to answer the guiding question of the research, which was to assess the synergy between rainfall and the other variables. It also showed that the climatic regions of Ceará presented different average values and instabilities, with the region with the greatest climatic difficulties being the Sertão Central and Inhamuns Central Hinterland and Inhamuns). The results showed that 1996 had the best rainfall levels and the highest IPCP values compared to 2006 and 2017. Therefore, there was an interaction between rainfall and preservation indicators applied in the semi-arid region of Ceará during the study period.