Land suitability, water balance and agricultural te chnological inputs a re important characteristics of the soil as a natural resource and can play a significant role in the agricultural production and productivity. Base d o n these characteristics, a Geographic and Te chnological Index, the GeoTe c Index, is propose d i n order to help detecting regional agricultural income inequalities and also to b e use d a s a geographic variable in economic studies. The GeoTe c Index i s built as a weighte d average o f three sub indices, namely, Land Suitability, Hydrological and Te chnological Indices. The Land Suitability Index i s base d o n the agricultural suitability or the aptitude of a g iven land to support a define d agricultural use. The Hydrological Index (HyI) is base d o n a water balance which d etermines the potential and actual amounts o f evapotranspiration and wa te r surplus, or excess of precipitation over evapotranspiration, and corresponds to a numb er that represents either the annual soil wa te r excesses or deficits. And the Te chnological Index i s the sum of seve ra l sub indices, base d o n technological inputs use d i n the agriculture, such a s soil conservation practices, farmer’s te chnical assistance, use of soil fe rtilizers and correctives, presence of electric powe r, use of pest and disease control and use of irrigation. The Geographic and Technological Index (GeoTec) is a combination of the Land Suitability, Hydrological and Te chnological Indices and it is calculate d with data from Minas Gerais State, Brazil, for the period of 1990–20 01. The criterion for the regional subdivision of Minas Gerais State was the one propose d by the Brazilian Institute o f Geography and Statistics (IBGE), which d ivides the state into 6 6 micro regions. The highest values of GeoTe c Index a re obtaine d a t micro regions of the most d evelope d part o f the state, whereas the lowe st values of the GeoTe c Index a re found in micro regions locate d in the poorest part o f Minas Gerais State. There was a strong and positive relationship b etween the GeoTe c Index and the productivity of grains and, at the same time, there i s a strong negative relationship b etween the GeoTe c Index and the percentage o f poor people in Minas Gerais State micro regions. The GeoTe c Index can b e a p owerful instrument for d etecting regional inequalities and to implement public policies as an attempt to decrease the agricultural income disparities among regions. © 2 0 0 8 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.