Sistemas agroflorestais e seus serviços ecossistêmicos na RDS do Uatumã, Amazonas, Brasil

Abstract

In the tropical region, shifting cultivation is an important practice for subsistence to rural populations. Besides its basis on ecological succession, in the Amazon, the tendency for intensification of cultivation cycles leads to landscape degradation and to reduction of ecosystems services provision. Agroforestry systems (AFS) are cultivation practices that allow the recovery of degraded land, improving soil and life quality for rural communities in Amazonia. AFS are present in public policy strategies for rural development and its success depends on factors related to environmental characteristics, adopted management practices, knowledge and personal perception. In this context, we aim to assess impacts of AFS implantation in degrades areas of RDS do Uatumã in the provision of ecosystems services. Two work fronts were addressed: analysis of farmers' perception about the practice; and analysis of agroforestry practices effects on chemical and physical soil attributes. Yet, we searched for the best indirect method to estimate the contribution of the AFS to aboveground biomass accumulation. We noticed that the families acknowledge environmental benefits – especially in the soil, which were also evident from chemical and physical soil analyzes. Few of them identified subsistence or income improvements. However, despite the identified benefits, the short term financial return from cassava fields brings more advantage in relation to AFS. Simultaneous cultivation (traditional and AFS) is a strategy to combine the improvement of both soil productivity and benefits provision.