CAMILA NUNES BEZERRA
ABSTRACT
Rainfall instability is a striking feature in the Brazilian semiarid. The semiarid is often
affected by long periods of drought due to its irregular rainfall. This irregularity of rainfall in
the region directly influences agriculture, especially on rainfed crops. Rainfed production is
widespread throughout the State of Ceará, especially beans, cassava and maize crops, which
are important because they are the food base and the source of income for thousands of
farmers in the state. This paper aimed to trace the fluctuating behavior of annual rainfall in the
Municipalities of Acopiara and Iguatu, compared to what occurs in Ceará, from 1974 to 2017
and thus to evaluate the instability of endogenous variables in each of the identified rainfall
regimes. The coefficients of variation were used as rainfall instability measures, harvested
area, yield and average price. The results prove rainfall instability in both municipalities
studied. They reveal that there are differences between the rainfall regimes defined for each
municipality. It is also proved that, in general, during the drought period the endogenous
variables present greater instability.
Keywords: Drought. Family farming. Food production. Desertification.TCC CAMILA – PRONTO EM PDF PARA PAGINA