Ocupação dos espaços, gestão e degradação das pastagens entre pecuaristas da microrregião de São Félix do Xingu-PA

Abstract

In many places in the Brazilian Amazon the livestock is a very common activity. In the central eastern part, in the municipalities of São Félix do Xingu and Tucumã, this activity showed an exponential growth, especially from 90 years, where was observed one rapid expansion of pastures and cattle herds. Questions about the role of this activity emerged due to deforestation increase are consequence of the conversion of forests into pastures of low quality. Strong relationship among deforestation, pasture degradation and farmer migration were pointed in the last two decades by scientific works. So pasture degradation can be a key phenomenon in the farmers‘ decision to migrate to new areas. This study aims to analyze in micro region São Félix do Xingu, under the research Network – Geoma, if the pasture degradation causes a new deforestation and as the degradation is influenced by pasture management, herd management. The hypotheses were: i) forms of occupation and management to space are influenced by socioeconomic, environmental and political factors, by the land ownership and by the pastures productivity ; ii) the pastures and herds management practices are the main cause of pastures degradation; and, iii) the new deforestation are influenced by pastures degradation. Interviews done were with 63 farmers from September to December 2008. We use statistical regression models to identify variables that influence the stages of pastures degradation and the variance analysis (ANOVA) for compare the variables independents between the different groups of farmers. The results showed that among all socioeconomic categories of farmers, the forms of space occupation and management and status of pastures are very similar. Distinct socioeconomic categories of farmers are influenced by different factors of pastures degradation. Farmers in socioeconomic disadvantaged situations were mainly affected by external factors such as dry season, attacks by pests. However, unlike the hypothesis proposed, the degradation of pasture does not cause farmer migration and opening new areas. The intensification on pasture management is the strategy adopted by all categories of farmers; especially by the reform of pastures and increase in the number of divisions for reduce the pressure on pastures, the seasonal variation effect on the herds during the year and to make improvements in pastures.