The reporting period covers the main growing period of summer crops, as well as the harvest of the crops that had been planted at the beginning of the rainy season in October. The situation of South America is contrasting, with poor conditions in the north and good conditions in the south. This regions is dominated by rain fed crops and agro-meteorological conditions play decisive role.

Spatial distribution of rainfall profiles showed three main patterns distributed along a North-South gradient (Figure 2.3 a/b). North of the MPZ showed negative anomalies all along the reporting period (blue areas), with larger negative departures (-90 mm) in January, end of February and March. Southern Paraguay and Mato Grosso do Sul, Sao Pablo and Paraná states in Brazil showed a variable profile with strong negative anomaly values in mid-January and February. Starting from March, it trended near the average (orange areas). Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul states in Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina showed a profile with positive and no anomalies (light and dark green areas). A profile with strong positive anomalies at the end of January, February and beginning of March (dark green) was observed in Subtropical highlands and North Pampas in Argentina and Center Uruguay. The remaining areas (light green profile) showed a quite stable pattern with nearly no anomalies. Lastly, a small portion of the area showed a high variable pattern of strong positive anomalies and moderate negative anomalies (red areas) and was located in part of Minas Gerais state in Brazil.  

Temperature profiles showed four homogeneous profiles with high temporal variability (Figure 2.3 c/d). North of the MPZ showed two profiles: North Center of the MPZ (orange profile) showed no anomalies at the beginning of the reporting period and strong positive anomalies at the end of January, and from end of February to April. Surrounding this area (at North East and North West of the MPZ), a profile with moderate positive anomalies during January, and from February to April was observed (dark green profile). Southern states of Brazil (Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul states), Southern Paraguay, East and North Uruguay, and Mesopotamia and North-East Chaco in Argentina showed a profile with strong positive anomalies in January, end of February and beginning of March and negative anomalies at the beginning of February and from mid-March to mid-April (blue areas). The rest of Argentina sowed a profile with positive anomalies at the beginning of the reporting period and negative anomalies since the end of January (light green areas).

The BIOMSS departure map shows a contrasting pattern with poor conditions in the North of the MPZ and good conditions in most of Argentina (Figure 2.3 f). The center of the MPZ showed intermediate and variable BIOMSS values.

Maximum VCI showed quite good conditions for most of the area, with the exception of West of Rio Grande do Sul state in Brazil that showed low VCIx values mainly due to the prolonged drought. Poor conditions also appeared in a lesser extent in South and North Pampas, South Paraguay and Mato Grosso do Sul state in Brazil.  Crop Arable Land Fraction was almost complete, with the exception of a small portion in the South-West Pampas (Figure 2.3 e).

South America showed contrasting conditions for several of the analyzed indices (Figure 2.3 g). In the north of the MPZ (South Brazil) negative anomalies were observed for RAIN and low BIOMSS values, while in the South (most of Argentina)  no or positive anomalies in RAIN and high BIOMSS values were observed.  

Figure 2.3. South America MPZ: Agro-climatic indicators, January - April 2022

a. Spatial distribution of rainfall profiles b. Profiles of rainfall departure from average (mm)

c. Spatial distribution of temperature profiles d. Profiles of temperature departure from average (°C)

e. Potential biomass departure from 15YA

f. Maximum VCI

g. Cropped and uncropped arable land