A Economia do açaí como expressão do circuito inferior integrado da economia urbana no Bairro do Guamá (Belém-Pará)

Abstract

In recent decades, the açaí economy has become one of the most dynamic sectors in the Amazon, articulating productive, cultural, and urban dimensions. In Belém, particularly in lowlying floodplain areas, this activity has played a central role in spatial organization and in the social reproduction of popular groups. Taking the Guamá neighborhood as a reference, this thesis analyzes the activity of artisanal açaí processors as an expression of hybrid economic practices situated between formality and informality, and advances the hypothesis of the existence of an intermediate economic circuit, inspired by Milton Santos’ theory of the circuits of the urban economy (1979). The research adopts a comparative-longitudinal methodological approach, integrating secondary data (CNEFE/IBGE 2010) with primary data collected from 50 açaí processors, classified according to 12 empirical criteria related to formalization, technology, access to credit, organizational practices, and digitalization. The results indicate the coexistence of practices typical of the lower circuit—such as family labor, low capitalization, and proximity-based networks—with elements associated with the marginal upper circuit, including micro-formalization through the MEI regime, use of electronic payment devices, social media, and formal credit. This combination reveals a group of economic agents operating with light technification, mixed capital structures, and partial legality, characterizing what is defined here as an integrated lower circuit that contributes to the reorganization of urban space in Belém’s floodplain areas. It is concluded that the açaí economy, while sustaining popular livelihoods, produces new territorial rationalities and redefines the economic role of Belém’s urban peripheries, challenging the classical bipolarity between the upper and lower circuits of the urban economy.