SILVA, A. V.; http://lattes.cnpq.br/8033248702391642; SILVA, Ary Vieira da.
Resumen:
The destruction of the environment that is caused by synthetic fertilizers and chemical control
of infestations used in large-scale agriculture has manifested itself in the last 100 years as
degraded soil, contaminated food and human beings intoxicated by contaminated products. As
a consequence, concern about preservation and conservation of the environment has been
growing in the last years, searching for ways of sustainable food production. Several currents
of ecological thinking developed, aiming at Bio-dynamic Agriculture. The central element
behind bio-dynamic agriculture is the human being and his basic principle is the integration of
all environmental agricultural elements in such a way that the agricultural organism retains
permanent fertility, leading to a healthy soil, plants, animals, and human beings. Bio-dynamic
agriculture started as a set of eight presentations by philosopher Rudolf Steiner in the 1920s in
Poland which postulated the use of sustainable agriculture. Sustainability has gained ever
more importance in society, leading agricultural industry conglomerates in the search for
processes and strategies that balance ecological, economic, and social factors. The main
objective of this doctorate thesis is to analyze the level of sustainability of the bio-agriculture
at Fazenda Tamanduã located in Santa Teresinha, Paraíba, using a methodology based on a
selection of ecological, economical, and social parameters. In chapter 40, the "Agenda 21
Global" recommends the use parameters from different domains in order to get a solid basis
for decision making, thus contributing to the self-regulated sustainability of integrated
systems of environment and development. Accordingly, the approach of the research work
comprised: a review on sustainable development and sustainability applied to agriculture; the
conceptual and classificatory approach on parameters, such as system parameters; modeling
of parameters for ecological sustainability, measured in the case study of Fazenda Tamanduã;
selection and definition of sustainability parameters, with the collaboration of Fazenda
Tamanduã; and development of a DSR (Driver-State-Response) model according to OECD
(Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). This model considers the
domains of ecological, economical, and social sustainability, turning it into a practical means
useful in guiding the development process, the administration and monitoring of productive
bio-agriculture according to principles of sustainability. Finally, conclusions and some
recommendations based on practical observations during the research work are presented.
