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Finding ways to stimulate the diffusion of water-saving irrigation is essential to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change on water supply. The study recently published by José Daniel Morales Martínez (UNICAMP), Alexandre Gori Maia (UNICAMP), and Junior Ruiz Garcia (UFPR) compared the factors determining the diffusion of least efficient (sprinkler systems) and most efficient irrigation (localized systems) in the Brazilian agriculture. The authors highlight how the diffusion of water-saving systems depends on knowledge flows between farmers (peer effects). On the other hand, the diffusion of least efficient systems depends fundamentally on the easy availability of water, which may become more scarce with climate change.

We scrape all publicly available Twitter data (tweets) with mentions of the Brazil's six leading presidential candidates: Lula, Bolsonaro, Moro, Ciro, Doria, and Tebet. The trends show how the candidates perform in the social networks, offering insights into public opinion and the Brazilian election process.

The integration of trees, crops, and livestock (or simply agroforestry) is among the priority policies in Brazil to increase food production without further deforestation and carbon emissions. The environmental benefits of agroforestry are well known, such as restoration of degraded lands, water and soil conservation, carbon and nitrogen fixation. However, the economic impacts of agroforestry are still poorly understood. A research partnership between the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) analyzed the impacts of the diffusion of agroforestry on cattle farming in Brazil. The researchers published a paper in the journal Land Use Policy highlighting that the diffusion of agroforestry systems had positive and relevant impacts on the stocking rate (heads/pasture area) and, in some cases, in the total value of production. 

A research partnership between the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) evaluated the impacts of a climate resilience program designed for family farmers in the Brazilian Sertão (MAIS, Módulo Agroclimático Inteligente e Sustentável). Two papers describe the main results of this research. The first paper, published in the journal PLOS One, uses a combination of economic and wellbeing metrics to compare the performance of adopters (MAIS farmers) and non-adopters (control group). The second paper, published in the journal Climate and Development, uses quarterly data for MAIS farmers to analyze the evolution of technical efficiency. The studies highlight that the MAIS program had substantive and significant impacts on production practices, land management, and quality of life in general.

Can you save water if your neighbors do? Understanding the factors influencing the consumption of water has become a central priority for sustainable economic development. Although population and income growth are critical factors for understanding water demand, social behavior also plays a central role. Daniel Morales Martínez and Alexandre Gori Maia (both from UNICAMP) analyzed how residential water consumption is influenced by the consumption of the neighbors (peer effect). The authors highlight how the peer effect differs by social group and is particularly strong among those who overconsume water.