Heavy rains increase the risk of soil erosion in agriculture.

The rainy season in Brazil, especially common across much of the country, brings significant challenges to agricultural production. Among these, one of the most worrying is soil erosion—a silent process, but capable of causing long-term economic and environmental damage. According to experts, inadequate management practices can cause years, or even centuries, of soil formation to be literally washed away with the first heavy rains.

According to researcher Alexandre Ortega, from Embrapa Solos e Meio Ambiente (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation for Soils and Environment), attention to soil should be permanent, regardless of whether the country is simultaneously facing episodes of drought and extreme rainfall. "It may seem contradictory to talk about soil conservation during a water crisis, like the one we are experiencing in parts of the Southeast, but precisely after prolonged periods of drought, the risk of erosion increases significantly," he explains.

According to Ortega, soils that have experienced long dry periods become more vulnerable when the rains return. "If this soil is not well protected, without adequate water and soil conservation practices, it will simply be washed away with the first heavier rains," he warns.

Recent examples reinforce the warning.

Extreme events recorded in recent years help to illustrate the scale of the problem. Floods and landslides that occurred in Rio de Janeiro, in the mountainous region, and more recently in Rio Grande do Sul, have shown how large volumes of rain can cause severe losses of soil, nutrients, and organic matter.

“It’s not just the land that is lost. Soil biodiversity, microbial life, nutrients, and an entire structure that took hundreds or thousands of years to form are also lost,” says the researcher. According to him, recovering these degraded areas is a slow, expensive process that requires a large investment of resources and energy, with impacts that affect the whole of society.

Simple practices help protect the soil.

Among the main preventive measures recommended are contour planting, which reduces the speed of rainwater, and the elimination of so-called "downhill planting," a practice considered highly erosive. "In a more intense rain, downhill planting acts like a channel, accelerating the water and completely destroying the soil," explains Ortega.

Another essential strategy is maintaining vegetation cover, whether through crop residues, mulch, or cover crops. The researcher emphasizes that the no-till system is only effective when adopted correctly. “It’s no use talking about no-till farming if it’s limited to crop rotation like corn and soybeans. It’s necessary to maintain crop residues, minimize soil disturbance as much as possible, and use species that truly protect the surface,” he points out.

In areas with more fragile soils, even greater care must be taken. "Each soil has a limit to its use. We cannot exploit it beyond its capacity," he states. In these cases, the use of certain types of grasses and other species with good root systems helps maintain soil structure and significantly reduce losses caused by rain.

Prevention is cheaper than cure.

The researcher emphasizes that the costs of prevention are much lower than those of recovering degraded areas. "Once the soil is lost, recovering what was taken away—nutrients, organic matter, and biological life—takes a long time and is expensive," he says.

Beyond the direct impact on agricultural production, soil degradation affects entire ecosystems. "It's not just human life that suffers. All fauna and flora are impacted. Soil is practically a living organism that undergoes complex processes and doesn't form overnight," he emphasizes.

Climate challenges are expected to intensify.

Faced with a scenario of climate change, with alternating severe droughts and intense rainfall, Ortega believes that the challenges for rural producers tend to increase. "Climate has always been a determining factor in Brazilian agriculture and will continue to be," he says.

Although technologies like irrigated agriculture exist, most of the country's agricultural areas still depend directly on rainfall. "All agricultural planning is based on historical data and climate forecasts, but extreme events are increasingly deviating from the norm," he notes.

For the researcher, the main message is clear: taking care of the soil is a survival strategy for agricultural production. “It’s very difficult for the producer to see everything they planted and invested in being washed away by the water. Therefore, doing everything in the best possible way beforehand is fundamental. Prevention will always be better—and cheaper—than trying to recover later,” he concludes.