Roads and Access

There are thousands of kilometers of paved roads in the cerrado frontier, but there is need for tens of thousands more. The cerrados are so vast and the distances so great that it will take years for road construction and improvements to meet needs. In the meantime, most cerrado land will be accessed via unpaved roads.

The condition of unpaved roads in Western Bahia range from fair to good.  While unpaved roads are passable throughout the year, the rainy season brings out 4WD vehicles. With 1,100 to 1,800 mm of rain falling over a six-month rainy season, maintenance of dirt roads is a challenge.

Dryland farming is relatively unaffected by poor roads. Planting occurs at the beginning of the rainy season when roads are in fairly good condition. Harvest starts at the beginning of the dry season when roads can be better maintained.

Irrigated agriculture cycles are not tied to the rainy and dry seasons. Crops may be harvested in the rainy season when road conditions are poor. Poor road conditions slow transport of the harvest but rarely stop it. Some of the most successful irrigated farms in Western Bahia are located more than 60 km from paved roads.

Poor roads slow the transport of inputs and crops, but poor roads have not retarded the continued advance of profitable cerrado agriculture.

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