Caatinga: Encyclopedia II - Caatinga - Agriculture

Caatinga - Agriculture

In some places the Caatinga has very fertile soils. Inhabitants plant fruits in the fertile soil to process and eat, sell and export. Some regions are being irrigated, most notably the São Francisco River. This is very good news for farmers, although salinization of the soil is becoming a threat since the land is irrigated with saline water. If there is a surplus in goods as a result of the new irrigation this area will start exporting a lot more products outside of Brazil. The São Francisco River is currently exporting grapes, papayas and melons and may become a real competitor in the world marketplace.

Having and using all these resources has some negatives. Intensive agriculture, along with excessive grazing by cattle and goats is affecting the population structure of some of the more important plant and animal species. Deforesting for industrial uses like fuel and charcoal destroys the vegetation. The combination of drought and misuse of the land are becoming a major threat. If these practices continue at the current rate, desertification is possible.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Agriculture", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki