STUDY OF THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR IN RIO GRANDE DO SUL STATE

Abstract

Considering the significant importance of agriculture for the State of Rio Grande do Sul economy, the present work aimed to examine the spatial distribution of agriculture in the State of Rio Grande do Sul in 2004, verifying the existence of clusters, as well as to analyze the level of correlation among the variables analyzed in the production function, using as endogenous variable the gross value of agricultural production. Thus, the Exploratory Analysis of Spatial Data was used as methodological basis. The results demonstrated the existence of positive spatial autocorrelation between towns and that the greatest values of production are found in towns situated in the North and Southeast regions. The maps of clusters allowed to verify the existence of two low-low clusters, situated in the South and Northeast of the state, and three high-high clusters in the North and Northeast region, where there is predominance of small properties, grape cultivation and high gross value of production.