Diagnóstico sócio ambiental de duas comunidades do município de São José dos Cordeiros (PB).

Abstract

The correct management of soil fertility is essential for the success of an agricultural enterprise as well as for the preservation of natural resources. Therefore it is fundamental to know the farmers' perception and the state of the soil fertility, in order to ensure the economic and environmental sustainability of the agricultural production systems. The objective of this work was to identify farmers' perceptions of land use dynamics and to assess soil fertility and water quality in the rural communities of Cardoso and Cazuzinha, in the municipality of São José dos Cordeiros (PB) .The methodological procedure for the perception study was the semistructured questionnaire with informal conversations and for the soil and water diagnosis the sample collection and the appropriate laboratory analysis. The verified results show that 72% of the interviewees have farm of up to 55 ha, equivalent to the fiscal module in the municipality, with presence of degradation, use of agrochemicals and chemical fertilizers. The workforce is familiar (85%), 33% develop livestock and 67% practice agriculture, with interest in agricultural production by grasses (39%) and fruit (28%). The perception study showed that 67% of the farmers did not verify problems with the soil of the production area, but they still showed difficulties regarding low fertility (17%), soil use (6%) and salinity (5%). The diagnosis of the soil indicated no chemical limitations from the point of view of plant productivity, classified as good quality land. Regarding water quality, all the wells presented some restriction for the use in the irrigation, but, in the majority of the cases, not compromising its use, being necessary the verification of the sensitivity of the culture to be irrigated as to the level of salinity and sodicity from water.