Spatial and economic dynamics of bean crops in an important production hub in Brazil

Beans are a traditional grain crop consumed by humans that is of great importance for food security and farmers in terms of income in Brazil. Parana is one of the largest bean-producing states in the country, but the area needed for its production is being lost, changing the dynamics of bean cultivation, and generating social and economic impacts. The objective of this study was to verify the spatiotemporal and economic dynamics of bean production in Parana. For this purpose, using mainly data from the 2006 and 2017 agricultural censuses, the location quotient, the Hirschman-Herfindahl Index (HHI), the Williamson coefficient ( V w ), exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA), and principal component analysis (PCA) were applied. From the results, it was possible to verify that there was a 13.95% reduction in the number of municipalities that specialized in bean production, from 98 municipalities in 2006 to 86 in 2017. Most specialized municipalities produced black beans or a combination of other colored beans. The HHI revealed that the specialized municipalities accounted for the most income from bean production. The V w indicated that the economic development of the central-eastern and southeastern Parana mesoregions was related to bean production. Based on the ESDA, it was found a statistically significant and positive presence of spatial concentration in 2006 (Moran' I = 0.36) and 2017 (Moran' I = 0.51). Based on the PCA, it was possible to identify two main components that together explained 71.52% of the data variability. The reduction in the planted area, the decrease in the number of specialized municipalities, and the concentration of income from bean production in some municipalities make it difficult to reduce regional disparities in Parana, and in addition, these factors increase concern about food security; thus, public policies are needed to reduce such impacts.