Percepções de produtores familiares sobre indicadores de serviços ambientais: cultivo de base agroecológica e convencional em Santarém e Belterra

Abstract

Human perceptions express mental representations of external objects based on sensory data at the temporal, spatial, cultural, environmental, historical and socioeconomic levels. The daily coexistence of family farmers tends to broaden the perception about ecosystem goods and services provided, as well as the impacts caused to nature. It is necessary to value the services rendered by man in the productive process of a region. The objective of this work was to identify indicators of environmental services provided by conventional and agroecological producers, based on community perceptions in the Amazon. Methodologies such as group dynamics and questionnaire application were applied to 30 farmers distributed in 15 agroecological farmers and 15 conventional farmers. From the descriptive analysis it was found that 51% of producers are agroecological and 49% of producers use conventional agriculture. Agroecological farmers provide environmental services such as collaborative work, non-application of pesticides, presence of pollinators, maintenance of soil cover and diversity in food production. There is loss of thermal regulation service in the perception of conventional producers in the occurrence of discomfort in the field (soil and crop preparation). Gender was an indicator in agro-ecological family farming with a majority of women. In service indicators, the provisioning service has potential compensation for PSA programs to consolidate agro-ecological production in the Amazon.