National statistics reveal a strong increase in fertiliser consumption over 2000-10, both in absolute terms (+137%) (IBAMA, 2013) and per unit of agricultural area (Figure 1.12). Brazil is one of the world’s largest consumers of fertilisers (after China, India and United States) (FAO, 2014). Fertiliser use is particularly high for certain crops, such as soya (Accioli and Monteiro, 2011). It is also higher in the South and South-east regions, where large-scale farming prevails, and has been associated with increasing pressures on water and soil quality. In 2010, pesticide sales amounted to USD 7.2 billion, 10% more than in the US market (Pelaez et al.,