Considered one of the fastest-growing agricultural frontiers in Brazil, and the area with the highest greenhouse gas emissions in the Cerrado, Brazil’s savanna-type biome, the region known as MATOPIBA, risks facing water shortages in the years ahead. Water overuse may mean that between 30% and 40% of demand for crop irrigation cannot be met in the period 2025-40. MATOPIBA is a portmanteau of the names of four states—Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí, and Bahia (all but Tocantins are located in Brazil’s Northeast region).
Water overuse in Brazil’s MATOPIBA region could mean failure to meet up to 40% of local demand for crop irrigation
