Produtividade de espécies frutíferas em cultivo tradicional de sistemas agroflorestais na comunidade Santo Antônio da colônia Rondon 1 no município de Itacoatiara - AM: Um estudo de caso

Abstract

Traditional Farming is the practice of smallholder agriculture based on old techniques for subsistence and with a wide variety of cultivars. On the other hand, there are agroforestry systems, which are forms of land use where perennial species are cultivated together with herbaceous species, obtaining benefits from the ecological and economic interactions arising from this combination. Agroforestry systems are considered an alternative use of natural resources that normally cause little or no degradation to the environment. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the yield of fruit species in Traditional Cultivation and Agroforestry System in the community of Santo Antônio da Colônia Rondon I, Itacoatiara-AM, to identify the fruit species taxonomically and to verify the yield of the cultivars. The research techniques used were the interview with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and the guided tour, where the farmer was invited to walk his property showing his crops. The taxonomic identification was made through comparison with the specialized literature, with the Flora do Brasil 2020 website and with exsiccates deposited in the Herbarium of Centro de Estudos Superiores de Itacoatiara. Cultivars production was verified using the kg/ha and unit/ha indices. Thirty families from the community were interviewed, 15 using traditional cultivation and 15 cultivating in agroforestry systems. The farmers interviewed in both production systems are classified as “small producers”. The annual income of the 30 interviewed families in 2018 was R$ 149,140.00; which makes an average annual income of R$ 4,971.33 per Family. In traditional cultivation, a total of 27 fruit species were registered, belonging to 17 botanical families. The total production of traditionally cultivated fruit species was 1,130 kg and 443 units in an area of 323.8 ha, which generated a total of R $ 8,180.00 over a period of six months. When its production was measured by area, a total of 3.48 kg/ha and 1.36 units/ha were obtained. In the agroforestry system there were a total of 35 fruit species belonging to 20 botanical families. The total production of fruit species cultivated in agroforestry system was 10,056 kg and 16,738 units in an area of 472 ha, which generated a total of R$ 66,390.00 over a period of six months. When its production was measured by area, a total of 21.30 kg/ha and 35.46 units / ha were obtained. Within the universe of 30 rural properties surveyed, the study shows that 25 families (83.3%) obtain part of their income through the commercialization of fruit production and five families (16.7%) only produce, but do not sell the fruits, these being exclusive for self-consumption. Agroforestry systems are economically viable, since fruit production presented results above those found in traditional cultivation. This demonstrates that the management of cultivated fruit species provides greater profitability to community producers. In addition, they provide more sustainable agriculture and are also an alternative to job creation, income diversification and environmental restoration on rural properties.