Diagnóstico para implantação de modelos agroflorestais na Fazenda Nupeárido, Patos-PB

Abstract

Caatinga, the vegetation that covers most of the semiarid region in northeast Brazil is under heavy anthropic pressure due to production systems based on incorrect agricultural practices, overgrazing and indiscriminate logging. It is necessary to develop an exploration model that balances ecosystems and human social and economic needs. Agroforestry happens to be a viable alternative as they support the idea of ecosystem sustainability based on recovery of biodiversity and of forest fragments. Successful implementation of agroforestry depends on the knowledge of the potentialities of the resources present in the target area. Thus, this study had the objective to survey the current status of NUPEARIDO Farm and to make a diagnosis of its environmental conditions. Data were collected on the total area of the farm, morphological, chemical, and physical soil attributes, tree phytossociology, and pasture evaluation. The farm covers approximately 263 ha, 42% of them may be under water when Jatobá dam is in its highest level. Open Caatinga forest covers 90 ha and pasture57 ha. The soils in the farm are relatively homogeneous, presenting limitations regarding depth, structure, texture and fertility. The forested area was classified as open bushy-arboreal Caatinga with a relatively high tree species richness, mostly from the Fabaceae and Euphorbiaceae families. The native herbaceous pasture areas are under a heavy continuous browsing pressure by cattle, goats and sheep. The adoption of agroforestry systems at NUPEARIDO Farm needs the support of the UFCG/CSTR researcher team in order to define priorities actions that should be implemented right away, such as recovery of the degraded areas, in general, and the bordering forest around the Jatobá dam, prevention of wood and firewood collection, and adoption of proper browsing pressure on pasture areas. The expectations are that the adoption of agroforestry systems be used as a didactic model to be followed by other institutions, extension agents and local farmers, and especially that the adopted systems warrant the sustainable use of the natural resources available at NUPEARIDO Farm.