Adoption and use of precision agriculture technologies in the sugarcane industry of Sa ˜o Paulo state, Brazil Claudia Brito Silva • Ma ´rcia Azanha Ferraz Dias de Moraes • Jose ´ Paulo Molin Published online: 6 January 2010 Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010 Abstract Precision agriculture (PA) technologies are being applied to crops in Brazil, which are important to ensure Brazil’s position in agricultural production. However, there are no studies available at present to indicate the extent to which PA technologies are being used in the country. Therefore, the main objective of this research was to investigate how the sugar-ethanol industry in Sa ˜o Paulo state, which produces 60% of the domestic sug- arcane, is adopting and using these techniques. For this purpose, primary data were used, which were obtained from a questionnaire sent to all companies operating in the sugar- ethanol industry in the region. The aim was to determine to what extent these companies are adopting and using PA technologies, and also to promote a more in-depth discussion of the topic within the sugar-ethanol industry. Information was obtained on the features of the companies, on sources of information that they use for adopting these technologies, on their impacts on these companies and on obstacles hindering their adoption. The main conclusions of this research suggest that companies that adopt and use PA practices reap benefits, such as managerial improvements, higher yields, lower costs, minimization of environmental impacts and improvements in sugarcane quality. Keywords Ethanol Á Sugar Á Sugarcane Á Survey Á Brazil C. B. Silva Á M. A. F. D. de Moraes (&) Economic, Business Administration and Sociology Department, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of Sa ˜o Paulo, Av. Pa ´dua Dias, 11. Sa ˜o Dimas, mailbox 9, Piracicaba, SP 13418-900, Brazil e-mail: mafdmora@esalq.usp.br URL: http://esalq.usp.br C. B. Silva e-mail: cloubrito@hotmail.com J. P. Molin Biosystems Engineering Department, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of Sa ˜o Paulo, Av. Pa ´dua Dias, 11. Sa ˜o Dimas, mailbox 9, Piracicaba, SP 13418-900, Brazil e-mail: jpmolin@esalq.usp.br URL: http://esalq.usp.br 123 Precision Agric (2011) 12:67–81 DOI 10.1007/s11119-009-9155-8