Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply - Embrapa

Figure. 4. Area of expansion of energy agriculture.
Source: Drawn by D. L. Gazzoni.
periods that carry certain risks for the main crop, but are perfectly acceptable for
less water-demanding crops – such as castor plants and sunflower. Energy
agriculture is made viable by the partially written-off fixed costs. The harvest/little
harvest, winter cropping and summer double cropping systems have already
been widely adopted for grain production in the country.
The third advantage is predicated on the size and geographic location
of the country, extending for the most part along the tropical and subtropical
zones. Consequently, the Brazilian territory receives intense solar radiation –
the source of bioenergy – the year round, in addition to having a wide range of
climates, which reduces the risk of agricultural shortages due to harvest
losses. The country is also endowed with an exuberant biodiversity that
enables a series of energy agriculture options from which to select the most
convenient. The latter possibility is rather restricted in Europe, which depends
on only a few species, like colza and beets, and in the United States, with
corn and soybean.
Among the crops with an exploitable agroenergy potential, special
mention should be made of soybean, sunflower, African palm, castor plant,
and canola. Notwithstanding, the list of potential plants records more than
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