Embrapa's mappings guide credit, public policies, and agricultural planning.

Embrapa's territorial mapping guides public policies, rural credit, and agricultural planning in different regions of Brazil. Surveys that integrate climate, soil, and land use data support production decisions, anticipate risks, and direct investments in the field.

These technical databases feed into public databases, support zoning plans, and underpin environmental regularization programs. Spatial information also guides decisions ranging from rural credit to crop management and helps predict climate risks and define land use.

According to Lucíola Magalhães, head of Research and Development at Embrapa Territorial, the mappings synthesize complex territorial phenomena and support the governance of the agricultural sector. The integration of environmental, social, agricultural, economic, and land data strengthens land-use planning and supports public policies aimed at the sustainable development of agriculture.

The demand for territorial data is growing among governments, banks, cooperatives, and companies. These agents use the information to plan policies, assess risks, and guide investments. In this scenario, Embrapa's mappings gain importance as a technical reference for economic and management decisions.

The Agricultural Zoning for Climatic Risk (Zarc) exemplifies this role. The tool guides rural credit and insurance by indicating periods of lower risk for planting. In 2023, agricultural financing totaled approximately R$ 143,9 billion in Brazil, according to the Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA). A large part of this financing depends on the zoning recommendations.

Launched in 1996 for wheat, Zarc now covers more than 40 crops in approximately 5.500 municipalities. The tool combines climate, soil, and plant phenology data, as well as historical series and information on soil water storage and crop water requirements. Probabilistic simulations indicate planting windows and guide agricultural policies and producer decisions.

The network of researchers from Embrapa, state institutions, and universities supports this system. Embrapa Digital Agriculture's computational infrastructure processes millions of simulations that cross-reference crops, soils, and planting periods. Advances in dynamic modeling, combined with artificial intelligence, field sensors, and satellite imagery, should increase the accuracy of recommendations in the coming years.

In the Vale dos Vinhedos (RS), spatial surveys support the management of the wine-growing territory. The region occupies approximately 81 km² and encompasses about 1.760 hectares of georeferenced vineyards. Information on altitude, slope, and sun exposure allows for the comparison of areas and the identification of terroir differences that influence wine production.

Relief and land use maps also supported the delimitation of the Geographical Indication and the Designation of Origin of the region. The data guided management standards, phytosanitary control, and identification of cultivars adopted by local producers.

Another example comes from the Agroecological Zoning of Oil Palm. The study identified approximately 32 million hectares suitable for oil palm cultivation, with restrictions on areas deforested up to 2007. The analysis guided the Sustainable Oil Palm Production Program and directed agricultural credit and land planning in Pará.

In the forests of Rondônia, land-use mapping has shown that the expansion of Amazonian robusta coffee has occurred without significant encroachment on forests. Comparisons between satellite images from 2020 and 2023 indicated less than 1% conversion of forest areas to coffee plantations. This result strengthens the commercial security of regional production and supports access to markets that require proof of sustainable origin.