A viabilidade socioeconômica e ambiental das práticas agroecológicas: estudo de caso em Lagoa Seca, Paraíba.

Abstract

Facing the necessity for changes in the environmental and social crisis scenario that we live today, arises the agro ecology as a field of knowledge able to indicate sustainable alternatives replacing the predatory practices of the capitalist agriculture. At the environmental view, the adoption of these sustainable practices would enable the maintenance of natural resources and the agricultural productivity during a big period, generating less adverse impacts to the environment and improving the production with minimal possible external inputs. However, the sustainable rural development is not reached only with the adoption of alternative practices of cultivation in the field. It is more an ideal, as the social justice, and in the other hand, a project from the society which must be built technically, socially and politically. Many family farmers from Brejo area in the Paraíba state have adopted alternative practices of agriculture management, especially in Lagoa Seca city. Despite recent in the adoption of an alternative model of agriculture, these small producers declare to follow the agro ecological principles, gaining new fans to the process of agriculture transition in this region. This study aims to identify the adopted practices by family farmers in Lagoa Seca city, highlighting the local experiences, experienced, and their social economic and environmental viability to the region, considering the agro ecology principles as a guide mechanism and determinant for such analysis. To achieve the required data by this research, it has been evaluated 20 agro ecological properties located at Lagoa Seca city, Paraíba state, distributed in the following regions: Oiti, Cumbe, Floriano and Alvinho. This research is qualitative and had the case study performed through a base questionnaire, observation in loco (walk around the establishment) and application of semi-structured interview. The adopted practices by agro ecological farmers from Lagoa Seca have provided the conservation of soil, water and the local biota ensuring long-term maintenance of these natural resources to current and future generations. The changes in the institutional political scenario have brought uncountable social and economic benefits to the agro ecological communities; besides strengthen the process of agro ecological transition through the cooperation and dedication among the involved characters. It has been verified also some negative points like the deficiency in the sewage system and water treatment for animal and human consumption which may pledge the agro ecological product image in the various marketing channels, as well as the farmers’ health and their family. The agro ecological practices of social economic and environmental features have provided considerably the improvement of the life quality of the family farmers from Lagoa Seca city, Paraíba state, showing the importance of agro ecology as an indispensable tool to reach the sustainable rural development.