ZARC application guides producers on summer sowing

Soybean sowing begins in October in the cold region of the states of RS and SC. Following agricultural zoning can reduce losses due to adverse weather conditions throughout the summer harvest and ensure adherence to rural insurance programs in Brazil. The ZARC – Plantio Certo application allows you to access the best date for planting in each municipality on your cell phone.

The Agricultural Zoning of Agroclimatic Risk (ZARC) was created in 1996 to support credit and rural insurance policies. The study, coordinated by Embrapa with support from several public and private institutions, allows us to verify the best planting dates for more than 40 crops in Brazil. Using four variables - municipality, soil type, crop and plant cycle - the system presents the most suitable time of year for sowing and the associated loss risk rates – up to 20%, 30% and 40%. 

Soybeans were the first summer crop to be supported by ZARC in Brazil. Today, compliance with ZARC recommendations is mandatory for farmers to access resources from the Agricultural Activity Guarantee Program (Proagro), Proagro Mais and the Rural Insurance Premium Subsidy Program (PSR). Currently, private insurers also follow ZARC information to authorize insurance contracting.

Data base

The information contained in ZARC is organized based on the database for each crop, such as a historical series of the last 30 harvests, risk simulation and observations from more than 3 thousand meteorological stations distributed throughout the country.

According to Embrapa Trigo agrometeorologist Gilberto Cunha, ZARC is updated every year, following improvements in the risk simulation system, the expansion of the database and the emergence of new production technologies. The researcher highlights that the technology applied in the field today has greater resilience in withstanding climate impacts, but does not completely eliminate the risks of climate adversities and rural producers need to adopt the best available knowledge: “We cannot compare today's frustrations with the losses suffered in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. The use of technology currently makes it possible to enhance good returns in favorable years and mitigate negative impacts in adverse situations”.

According to Gilberto Cunha, the amount of rainfall in southern Brazil has increased, favoring agricultural exploration during the summer months. An example is soybean production in the Southern Half of Rio Grande do Sul, which has been without significant losses due to drought for 8 years. 

Easier access

To check the best sowing dates, technical assistance and rural producers needed to look for information on the Ministry of Agriculture through a series of spreadsheets that require user interpretation. 

To facilitate access and understanding of the information contained in the zoning, Embrapa Informática Agropecuária developed a mobile application, ZARC-Plantio Certo, which allows you to consult the database on any cell phone using the Android operating system. 

O ZARC-Plantio Certo is available for free in the app store Embrapa.