Processo de certificação orgânica na região metropolitana de Santarém, Pará

Abstract

This research aimed to analyze the organic certification process of family production units in the metropolitan region of Santarém, Pará. Organic food production has become increasingly important for the world economy. The field research was carried out in the metropolitan region of Santarém. The interlocutors were organic farmers from the Tapajós Organic Association, inspection and technical guidance technicians and representatives of the Lower Amazon Organic Committee - CTPorg-BAM. For data collection, open interviews were conducted covering issues relevant to the studied topic and consultation of the documentary collection on organic agriculture in the metropolitan region of Santarém. The collected data were systematized and submitted to qualitative analysis, using the technique of content analysis and descriptive analysis. The results showed that the first actions to create the organic group in the metropolitan region of Santarém started in 2010, however, without success. In 2011, a new attempt to form the group was successful, when the process of organizing farmers began. Thus, certified organic production in the metropolitan region of Santarém is the result of actions by a network of social actors that have articulated themselves around the promotion of organic agriculture. This network, institutionalized through the Thematic Commission on Organic Production in the Lower Amazon - CTPOrg-BAM, has acted through various actions and strategies aimed at strengthening and expanding the practice of organic agriculture in the region, such as holding fairs, creating of Social Control Bodies - OCS and creation of the Tapajós Orgânico Association, currently envisioning the creation of a Participative Conformity Assessment Body - Opac. It was concluded that the organic certification process in the metropolitan region of Santarém is constituted by the articulation of a network of actors. It was possible to observe the organization of this network and the different groups formed and active within it, as well as their contributions and actions to consolidate this organic production pole. It is observed that the network's performance continues on a continuous basis, having in its trajectory the construction of CPOrg-BAM as a decentralization strategy for CPOrg-PA; the creation of the OCSs to regulate and guarantee the organic quality of the products sold, the creation of the Tapajós Orgânico Association, culminating in the social organization of the organic farmers of the OCSs, favoring the articulation of these farmers with other institutions to form partnerships. For farmers, the attempt to create Opac is a solution to the yearnings for improvements in the organic production chain, allowing access to new markets and, consequently, at different prices, which will directly reflect on family income. Finally, it is possible to verify that the barriers to growth of organic agriculture in the region could be solved through public policies, as well as, if the existing public policies were really fulfilled and accessed by all. In this context, it is concluded that the formation of networks for the promotion of organic agriculture is of fundamental importance to strengthen and promote the construction, maintenance and expansion of organic agriculture in Santarém and region.