Sugar Cane--a tropical grass with tall, stout, jointed stems
from which sugar is extracted. The coastal area of Pernambuco state in
Northeast Brazil is also called Zona da Mata.
Its gets its name from the Northern Atlantic Forest of which today
almost none exists. The littoral has a tropical climate, perfect conditions for
sugar cane cultivation. It has been like this since colonial times when the
Portuguese introduced sugar cane.
Mechanized farming is almost impossible due to hills. In
Pernambuco sugarcane is harvested by hand. First, the field is set on fire. The
fire burns dry leaves without harming the stalks and roots. Than harvesters cut
the cane just above ground-level using special knives. Unfortunately cheap
and seasonal manual labor is needed to work the land just as in times
past. But today, the land is not used
for sugar production, but rather ethanol, as Brazil has the largest ethanol
industry in the world.
