Treffer: Production of Sustainable Tropical Fruit is Linked to the Preservation of Natural Vegetation in Bahia/Brazil.

To meet environmental and food security requirements, it is important to select appropriate management practices. The hypothesis tested in this study is that sustainable tropical fruits have a low impact on the natural vegetation in the Cerrado, Caatinga, and Mata Atlantic regions of Brazil. The objectives were to (i) determine the profile of tropical fruit production, (ii) assess land use changes (routes of soil use) from 2000 to 2023, and (iii) correlate the tropical fruit areas with native vegetation and pasture (planted and natural). The study monitored the agricultural production of permanent crops, natural vegetation, and pasture native and planted in Bahia, located in the northeast of Brazil. The data were analyzed in R and Python using machine learning (unsupervised learning) with a k-means clustering algorithm. Results showed that cacao (Theobroma cacao) and coffee (Coffea sp.) are the main permanent crops in Bahia. Lemon (Citrus aurantifolia Swing. var. ‘Tahiti’; 64%) and guava (Psidium guajava L.; +75%) increased over the study period. Sustainable tropical fruits were not linked to deforestation (natural pasture and vegetation), and the production of tropical fruits was linked to preservation of vegetation. The increase in planted pastures was associated with a reduction in natural pastures. Based on the results, it is concluded that tropical fruits can be sustainably produced in Bahia with a positive impact on food production and preservation of vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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