Impactos ambientais e socioeconômicos decorrentes da inovação tecnológica no cultivo de mamão (Carica papaya L.): Aplicado na Agrovila Canudos no Assentamento Rosário em Ceará- Mirim-RN.

Abstract

Issues related to agricultural activities and rural sustainable development paradigm pervade the incompatibility between economic growth and the ability to preserve natural resources for future generations and, in this vein, environmental conservation assumes importance compared to the impacts caused by production activities. Based upon this notion, this thesis aims to assess the socioeconomic and environmental impacts arising from cultivation of papaya (Carica papaya L.) in Canudos village farmer, Rosario settlement, Ceará-Mirim-RN, from the perspective of Ambitec system, seeking to contribute with alternatives that minimize negative impacts and leverage the positive impacts. The Ambitec system for Environmental Impact Assessment consists of an automated spreadsheet (MS-Excel ®) set composed of indicators which are organized into weighted arrays, valued coefficients with the impact alteration coefficients for each component of variables, considering the occurrence scale of effects from impacts and their significance. The results of impact coefficients are automatically expressed in charts, and finally the Impact Index of Technology Innovation is calculated and expressed graphically. In order to fill up the matrices, semistructured interviews were conducted along with twenty family producers residing in Canudos village farmer, regardless of whether they produce papaya or do not. It was also carried out the socioeconomic characteristization of the residents through forms with questions that argued producers on the following aspects: agricultural production, age, education, family income and settlement infrastructure. The results revealed that the village farmer responds for precariousness in attendance to education, health, waste collection and transportation. Regarding socioeconomic impacts measured by the Ambitec-environmental system, the overall impact index of technological innovation was positive equal to 1.4 due to the results of positive indicators: income generation (5.0), property value (4.8 ), institutional relation (4.8) and diversity of income source (3.8). The environmental variable showed the overall negative impact index of -2.6, in a way that the most representative indicators of this outcome are: use of agrochemicals (-5.0), use of energy (-5.5), use of natural resources (-6 5) and the soil quality (-5.0). Results obtained suggest that policies are implemented to encourage research in small farms in order to lead on appropriate production practices, on the perspective of a more sustainable agriculture with the lowest degree of negative impact and the development of other works focusing to the life quality of family farmers settled in Canudos village farmer so to identify the real needs of the families, keeping sight of the of public policy development that enable their permanence in the field with life quality, economic empowerment and environmental sustainability.