Satellite images allow precise mapping of banana plantations in Santa Catarina

Bananas are the fruit with the largest production and planted area in Santa Catarina. The state has 28.871 hectares of banana orchards. The northern coast of Santa Catarina is the largest producer, accounting for 74% of the planted area. The region has 21.400 hectares of banana plantations, located mainly in the municipalities of Corupá, Luiz Alves, São João do Itaperiú and Massaranduba. The southern coast is the second largest producing region, with 6.878 hectares, which corresponds to 24% of the total. The largest producer in the region is the municipality of Jacinto Machado. 

These data are included in the agricultural mapping carried out using satellite images and recently completed by Epagri, with support from Fapesc. For the survey, the researchers used high spatial resolution images from the CBERS-04A satellite. “The use of satellite images allows for the exact identification of the crop and the estimation of the area of ​​each orchard,” explains Kleber Trabaquini, researcher at Epagri/Ciram and leader of the project. 

Valci Vieira, a researcher at Epagri/Ciram who also worked on the project, explains that mapping agricultural areas is important for surveying areas, planning and monitoring crops. “They also help in choosing good agricultural practices and optimizing natural resources, among other purposes,” he explains. 

Activity involves 4 thousand farming families

Around 4 farming families in Santa Catarina have banana production as their main economic activity. The orchards are concentrated on small and medium-sized properties. In 2018, bananas from the Corupá region, on the northern coast of Santa Catarina, received the Geographical Indication in the Denomination of Origin category, earning the title of the sweetest banana in Brazil. 

The Epagri/Ciram team has been working on agricultural mapping using satellite images for over a decade, with the support of Epagri extension agents. Among the mappings already carried out are irrigated rice, onions, apples, soybeans and high-altitude vineyards.