Do monocultivo aos sistemas agroflorestais: análise da resiliência socioecológica de agricultores familiares em Tomé-Açu, Pará

Abstract

The dynamics of family farming has always had many peculiarities, starting with the history of occupation of the territory and the different ways of maintaining the areas. With the advance of agribusiness, to perpetuate as a family farmer and continue this way of life has become a challenge. In the case of the municipality of Tomé-Açu, Pará, the arrival of oil palm and the increase in prices of commodity crops put at risk the dynamics of agroforestry systems and subsistence of these family farmers. Considering these two factors, this research aims to analyze the dynamics of family farming and its different forms of adaptation regarding sustainability, socio-ecological and market resilience. To achieve these objectives, field research was conducted with interviews in 178 farms (up to 200 hectares) that carry out management and work of family origin. When analyzing sustainability of the agroforestry systems of these families, it was found that small family farmers have several difficulties, mainly involving the Political-Institutional dimension, a factor that was repeated for the resilience analysis. For sustainability, the research revealed that the sustainability of agroforestry systems carried out by family farmers in Tomé-Açu presented itself as deficient. When discussing resilience, the objective was to analyze the resilience against the perpetuation of oil palm in the territory, it was found that access to governance and public policies such as financing and technical assistance are fundamental for this group to be more resilient. In this chapter it was also possible to reflect on the resilience of this group involves factors beyond the indicators addressed in the research, reflecting on the resilience for staying the course even with all the obstacles that surround the Brazilian rural dynamics. About business and market models, the thesis proves that the theory of business models does not reflect the reality of the models in which farmers are inserted; the practices recommended as ideas to have a social, environmental, and economic impact fit the dynamics of large corporations but are not recognized at the level of small family farmers. Finally, this research concludes that family farming still maintains its livelihoods in a sustainable way, but without public institutional support this group becomes less resilient and more susceptible to external disturbances. A process of recognition of this livelihood and the ways of commercialization is an important step for the activities that are carried out by these farmers to continue generating environmental, social, and economic impact.