Avaliação da sustentabilidade em agroecossistemas de produção familiar com a aplicação do método MESMIS

Abstract

The study aimed to evaluate Sustainable Rural Development in family farming properties using MESMIS - Framework for Assessment of Natural Resource Management Systems Incorporating Sustainability Indicators. The same had been carried out on thirty properties: 50% had a size of up to 10 hectares, 33% between 10 and 20 hectares, and over 20 hectares, 17%. As for the number of people residing on the property: One (1) person, on a single property, representing 3.33% of the total; two (2) people in 50% of the properties; three (3) people in 22.5%; four (4) people or more by 22.5%. There were 12 different types of activities in the properties, with emphasis on agriculture with 60%, cattle raising 27%, and fruit and vegetables 20%. In 60% of the properties more than one activity is explored and the other 40% only one. The main critical points of the environmental dimension were obtained: a) positive points - water, soil, climate and the increase in organic production; b) negative points - risk of contamination by pesticides, exchange of conventional crops for transgenics, loss of soil fertility, water contamination by pesticides and the inappropriate destination of animal waste. In the social dimension: a) positive points - increase in agroecological knowledge, technical assistance, access and health services and commercialization of production; b) negative points - family succession, inadequate destination of domestic waste and waste, and, in the economic dimension: a) positive points - productivity, added value and commercialization; b) negative points - lack of access to credit, lack of working capital, difficulties in accessing new technologies, and lack of financial controls over activities. It can be seen that in the environmental dimension, the biggest problems encountered were the form of production and the final destination of animal waste, with indices 1.47 and 2.55 respectively. Two positive highlights in the environmental dimension were the indicators of water resources, average index of 4.64, and soil that presented an index of 4.60. Regarding social indicators, those with the lowest rates were: educational background of rural workers with 2.53 and culture and leisure with 2.58. Among the social indicators, access to goods and services, satisfaction with life in the countryside and health and social assistance services stood out, with rates of 4.35, 4.33 and 4.07 respectively. In economic indicators, the form of access to land showed the best index, with 4.80, while the use of financial controls was the one with the worst result (2.30). The indices obtained by MESMIS were compared with those of the MADERUS method. In the comparison, it was proved that the two methods play a relevant role in the sustainability measurement process.