2.1 Assessment of land usage and cover
The land use and cover of the Brazilian territory (8.5 million
km2) was assessed using 2017 data, compiled from
different literature sources (Table 1). It is observed that around 80.8
million hectares are covered with annual and perennial crops, including
planted forests (mainly Eucalyptus and Pinus), producing food, fibers,
biofuels and raw material for agroindustry and other uses. The area
dedicated to annual crops – soybean, corn, cotton, beans etc. – sums
up to 55.6 million ha. Natural and cultivated pastures, in different
stages of degradation, occupy 178.7 million ha; where about 38% of this
area is represented by cultivated pastures, mainly with species of
Brachiaria (Urochloa spp. ), Panicum and Andropogon (Macedo,
2009), having a high grazing capacity. However, 36% of the area of
pasture are considered degraded and erosion by water is one of the main
factors, together with compaction and losses of soil nutrients.