Sugarcane the evolution of technological thinking in agriculture

Resumo

The purpose of this study is to show the importance of technological progress in sugarcane production and its impact on the Brazilian economy. The evolution is shown using the time line concept to separate the most important cycles of the sugar-alcohol sector, while economic, social and environmental indicators are used to measure the results. The indicators clearly point out the sector’s progress and modernization. The study focuses on the advances achieved through the generation of new crop varieties with specific characteristics and the development of new products and byproducts of the sugarcane industrialization process. Special attention is accorded to the growth and increasing importance of the crop in the local and national economies, shown on the basis of the harvest values for the last ten years and production forecasts until 2020. The study concludes that the evolution of the agricultural and industrial technology in the recent past has enabled the sugarcane sector to become the most important and competitive in the world.