Analysis of socioeconomic and environmental sensitivity of sugarcane cultivation using a Geographic Information System

- We assessed and mapped the sensitivity of the areas used for sugarcane cultivation in São Paulo state (Brazil).
- The CATPCA technique provided a holistic approach to the assessment.
- We found three discrete aspects of socio-environmental sensitivity.
- Most of sugarcane cultivation in São Paulo state are occurring in environmentally well-suited areas.
- Market-based policies could be built based on this methodology, to avoid sugarcane cultivation in sensitive areas.

The global interest in biofuels has increased significantly in recent years, mainly due to the concern about climate change. In Brazil, the land area under sugarcane cultivation has expanded in unprecedented ways to meet the increasing ethanol demand of both the domestic and international markets. São Paulo is the Brazilian state with the highest production of sugarcane, and the expansion of this activity can impact both the environment and society. The purpose of this paper was to assess and map the sensitivity of the areas used for sugarcane cultivation in São Paulo state and to provide a holistic approach to sugarcane production from the sustainability perspective by integrating indicators of the environmental, social and economic spheres without focusing on one single element. Five environmental indicators (related to water resources, slope, environmental conservation areas, land use and agricultural potential) and six socioeconomic indicators (related to employment, income, education, gender equality, child labor and forced labor) were selected for the analysis. The methodology comprised the Categorical Principal Components Analysis (CATPCA) technique and the spatialization of results in a Geographic Information System. The resulting maps of sensitivity show the patterns of the three retained principal components and provide an information-rich tool that the government can use in decision making, policy formulation and the integrated planning of land use, thereby enabling the identification of both hotspots and which issues should be prioritized.