There is a broad relationship between climate and agriculture in the countryside. This is because agricultural practices are extremely dependent on atmospheric variations, which is to say that some factors, such as the amount of rain, temperature and other elements, interfere in the production of crops.
Thus, some species of vegetables are more likely to be cultivated in regions that have the most suitable climate types for their maintenance. Despite this, society has been developing techniques to reduce these effects, such as the creation of hybrid species and the construction of artificial spaces that allow the planting of vegetables in localities atypical.
However, these techniques – most of them very advanced – tend to have a higher cost and not always the same quality as the original ones, in the case of food. For this reason, before starting the crop, it is necessary to know if what will be cultivated can remain in the climate type in question, in addition to other factors to be evaluated, such as soil, water availability, etc.
During the colonization period, for example, the Portuguese crown initially chose the cultivation of sugar cane for the Brazilian lands, as the climate of the Northeast region was the most favorable, favoring the large production of sugar scale. The coffee, which adapts better to places that are neither too hot nor too cold throughout the year, was very cultivated in the Southeast region of the country, finding its peak in the Brazilian economy throughout the century XIX.
Soybeans, in turn, found in the Brazilian Midwest environment a perfect place for its installation, adapting with ease of the hot and dry climate of Central Brazil, with a hot and rainy season and a milder one with low humidity in the air. However, this species also adapts to the colder climate of the southern region, being, for this reason (and also for different economic factors), one of the most cultivated products in rural areas in Brazil.
Therefore, we can see that the influence of climate on agriculture is an important issue, so that knowing the particularities of each species and also the geographical conditions of the environment is something necessary for the good performance of the sector in the economy. Thus, it is evident that periods of extreme drought or severe climatic anomalies can harm production and all socioeconomic activities that depend on it.
Some plantations may suffer from drought or various climatic anomalies
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena
