Os sistemas agroflorestais na Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Piagaçu-Purus: uma alternativa para a agricultura familiar

Abstract

One of the main objectives of a Conservation Unit is to maintain the stocks of natural resources, assuring the traditional populations the necessary conditions and means for the maintenance of their lifestyles. In this direction, alternatives of sustainable use must be foreseen in the management of these areas. The agroforestry systems are important, making possible the simultaneous use of areas for agriculture, diminishing the pressure on primary forests, and diversifying production, maintaing soil communities, and several other social, economic, and environmental benefits. In this line of thought, the socioeconomy and agricultural production roças and gardens) were characterized, in order to contribute to the management plan of the Piagaçu-Purus Sustainable Development Reserve (Piagaçu-Purus SDR). In this study, three traditional communities (Divino Espírito Santo, Nossa Senhora do Livramento, and São João do Uauaçu), located at Piagaçu-Purus SDR, were researched, and using semistructured interviews, paper and mental maps, using the case study method. It was observed that the social aspects, such as health and education, need assistance, and religion influences little the decisions taken by communities. Leisure activities are related to the lifestyle of the familiar agricultors. The families of the traditional communities dedicate to subsistence agriculture, and develop parallel activities, such as Brazil nut collection, fishing, hunting, and timber harvest, increasing their income with retirement pensions, jobs, (cleaning persons, community teachers, etc.), and small stores. The commercialization of agricultural products concentrates in the "regatões", "patrões", and "recreios". The food base (70,7%) is fish and "farinha" (processed manioc), and other products from the roças, gardens, and forest. The roças are opened in areas of fallows (63,8%) and primary forest (36,2%), and people use on average (n=1,6) roças per year, with an average size of 0,89 hectares per roça. The main species planted in the roças are Manihot esculenta (25%) and Musa sp. (12,5%). The garden, as designated by familiar agricultors, has a important role in the agricultural production system, where a large diversity of plant species is cultivated, including medicinal plants, small and medium-sized animals, also being the space used for relaxation and leisure activities. The main fruit species found in gardens were Psidium guajava (22 %) and Inga edulis (10%), and, among the palms, Euterpe precatoria (41,5%) and Oenocarpus mapora (15,3%). Vegetables are usually grown in suspended. At the three traditional communities, their size was found to vary between 0,01 and 0,56 hectares per garden. This knowledge, developed by familiar agricultors, will be used as a base to subsidize land use alternatives, as well as agroflorestry systems, and will contribute to the management plan of this Conservation Unit and to the formulation and implementation of public policies adapted to their lifestyle.