Fragilidade ambiental e potencial energético em propriedades de agricultura familiar no Município de Cascavel- PR

Abstract

Family farming plays a strategic role in food security, environmental sustainability, and socioeconomic development, especially in agro-productive regions such as Cascavel. However, this sector faces significant challenges related to land-use intensification, reduction of vegetation cover, and the need to incorporate sustainable technologies that ensure the productive viability of rural properties. In this context, this study aimed to identify and classify environmental fragility levels and to assess the potential for renewable energy implementation in family farming properties in Cascavel–PR, Brazil, through an integrated geospatial approach. The methodology was based on the environmental fragility framework proposed by Ross (1994), distinguishing potential fragility, associated with natural terrain conditions, and emergent fragility, resulting from the interaction between physical factors and anthropogenic land use. Slope was classified according to technical parameters from EMBRAPA and IBGE; land use and land cover were analyzed using MapBiomas Collection 10; and Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs) were evaluated in accordance with Brazilian Forest Code (Law No. 12,651/2012). A total of 67 rural properties distributed across eight districts of the municipality were analyzed, with six selected for multitemporal analysis of land use and land cover between 2015 and 2023. The results revealed a predominance of moderate (50.7%) and high (40.3%) environmental fragility levels, mainly associated with undulating terrain and intensified agricultural use. The estimated energy potential indicated an average productivity of 1,515 kWh/kWp·year for photovoltaic generation, demonstrating not only the technical feasibility of solar energy in rural contexts, but also its potential as a complementary strategy for income generation and strengthening family farming systems. Unlike conventional approaches that assess energy potential in isolation, the results show that its feasibility is directly related to local environmental conditions, such as slope, vegetation cover, and the presence of protected areas. It is concluded that the integration of environmental planning and energy use allows not only the mitigation of impacts in more sensitive areas, but also the optimization of land use. Furthermore, this integration may contribute to the reorientation of territorial planning in family farming and to the development of public policies aimed at sustainable land use, productive diversification, and the promotion of environmentally suitable energy systems, in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals.