DYNAMICS OF THE AGRICULTURAL FRONTIER IN RONDÔNIA: LAND USE AND OCCUPATION PATTERNS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF RIO CRESPO

Abstract

The general objective of this study is to analyze the main spatial patterns of land use and occupation in the municipality of Rio Crespo, Rondônia, over a 40-year period. The municipality was chosen for its representativeness within the Rondônia region, serving as a microcosm of the socioeconomic and environmental transformations that marked the state's history in Western Amazonia. To this end, a methodological approach based on the use of geotechnologies and digital cartography was used, with an emphasis on the construction and interpretation of thematic maps. The cartographic production process included resources applied to the automated recognition of land use and land cover classes, which allowed for greater precision in spatial analysis and multitemporal analysis. The main results reveal that Rio Crespo underwent a marked process of conversion of native vegetation into agricultural areas, with emphasis on the expansion of extensive livestock farming and short-cycle crops. The observed pattern is typical of the Amazonian agricultural frontier: forest fragmentation, little diversified land use, and productive expansion with little environmental reversion. The growth of non-vegetated areas and signs of physical soil degradation, such as erosion and exposed soils, were observed. The conclusions point to the need for territorial planning guided by the concept of environmental sustainability, with the valorization of practices such as integrated crop-livestock-forestry (ILPF), agroforestry management, and the strengthening of the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR), and remote sensing as instruments for environmental control and monitoring. Furthermore, spatial patterns of land cultivation, such as coffee, were observed, originating in the municipality through the Cafelândia Urban Center for Rural Support (NUAR) project, part of the Marechal Deodoro Colonization Project, promoted by the National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA). Land use transitioned primarily to soybeans and cattle, making 2018 a milestone in agribusiness development.