Abstract
In anthropized environments such as agricultural zones, soil degradation
significantly impacts crop productivity, environmental and economic
Sustainability. This degradation is often accelerated by man with
inadequate management. The risks associated with soil degradation are
particularly pronounced in tropical regions, where extremely weathered
soils and rainfall dynamics exacerbate erosion. Soil loss due to erosion
is a subject already known by the scientific community and producers
with global estimates, but its characterization in the tropical
environment is still a dimension that is poorly integrated on a local
scale. In this context, this study aimed to validate the use of a simple
RGB camera on a Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to quantify small-scale
erosion in Curral de Cima municipality, Paraíba, Brazil. To this end, a
monitoring strategy with biweekly observations over a course of a year
was implemented. The results indicate. In this context, and based on
this validation, this work proposes to discuss the interest of PRAs in
the integrated management of soil, water and economic resources in a
tropical environment, demonstrating their interest in integrating the
panel of precision agriculture tools by also supporting the
“conservation” dimension,thus being able to value soil degradation
remotely.