Inovações agroecológicas para a agricultura familiar: um estudo de caso sobre sistemas agroflorestais no Alto Jequitinhonha - MG

Abstract

The process of modernization of farming brought about significant transformations in Brazilian rural milieu. The "green revolution" was considered by many authors a harmful model in environment and socially excluding. It was characterized by the standardization of the agricultural production processes, disregarding the country´s regional particularities. Out of the regional expressions of agricultural systems compatible with environmental conditions and rural traditionality lies the experience of the agroforest systems - SAFs - in Upper Jequitinhonha (Alto Jequitinhonha), northeastern region of Minas Gerais. These systems allow to the farmers put together in the same area fertilizing, fruit-bearing plants and others, supporting the natural process of soil recovery, biodiversity conservation and generating product. In Upper Jequitinhonha (Alto Jequitinhonha), SAF was an enterprise constructed by organizations entailed to household farmers in the region, aggregating together aspects linked to collective management and to the local folk of the local rural population as foundation of the proposal. That dissertation was aimed to size the results and impacts of SAFs, investigating aspects related to the familiar organization and production, the effects on floristic, entomological and edaphic environment. It was undertaken in rural communities of five towns of Upper Jequitinhonha (Alto Jequitinhonha) in SAFs managed by household farmers, named "monitors", from the actuation base of the Vicente Nica Center of Alternative Agriculture (Centro de Agricultura Alternativa Vicente Nica - CAV) - non-governmental organization of the region which acts in rural development programs. The environmental results were compared with between areas of SAFs and other growing systems and common environments in the region, as grassland, eucalyptus plantation, fallow area, conventional growing system and degraded area, named "pelador". As a result, it was felt that SAFs have contributed towards production, the improvement of the farmers and conservation of natural resources. It was found that they area favorable to the productive performances and that there are technical, financial and organizational limitations for expansion of the proposal.