Identificação dos custos para a recuperação de pastagens degradadas – estudo de caso

Abstract

In Brazil, pastures are the main source of food for ruminants. Despite this importance, Brazil has approximately 28 million hectares of degraded pastures with productive potential for agricultural activities. However, most rural producers do not know how to diagnose the level of degradation in their pastures, nor how to estimate the costs necessary for their recovery. In this context, the objective of this work is to conduct an economic analysis for pasture recovery on a property in Ribeirópolis-SE. The study was carried out on two Tanzania grass (Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania) pastures at Fazenda Curralinho, where soil analysis and diagnosis of the areas regarding the level of degradation were performed using previously defined parameters. After this, it was possible to perceive that one of the pastures presented characteristics of level 2 degradation and the other of level 3, with recovery costs of R$ 1,085.00 and R$ 3,156.50, respectively. The economic analysis then demonstrated that this investment pays for itself in less than a year in both areas, and that the areas would only need to produce 1.15 tons of green grass mass annually to reach the Economic Break-Even Point, where it is possible to cover all costs considering a defined minimum return. The results point to the viability of pasture recovery in the short term.