Water overuse in Brazil's MATOPIBA region could mean failure to meet up to 40% of local demand for crop irrigation

Considered one of the fastest-growing agricultural frontiers in Brazil, and the area with the highest greenhouse gas emissions in the Cerrado, Brazil's savanna-type biome, the region known as MATOPIBA, risks facing water shortages in the years ahead. Water overuse may mean that between 30% and 40% of demand for crop irrigation cannot be met in the period 2025-40. MATOPIBA is a portmanteau of the names of four states—Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí, and Bahia (all but Tocantins are located in Brazil's Northeast region).