Sistemas agroflorestais: manejo, sustentabilidade e percepção ambiental dos agricultores de Tomé – Açu, Pará, Brasil.

Abstract

Agroforestry systems (AFS) represent the challenge of the growing demand for food production and the environmental conservation. This study aimed to evaluate the agroforestry systems through the management of the arboreal component and the perception of the farmers in family and business farming from Tomé-Açu, state of Pará, Brazil. The data collection was made in the AFS of the family farming (AFS - FF), AFS of business farming (AFS - BF) and with artisans who make wooden artifacts. The data were analyzed by descriptive and multivariate statistics. The research was organized in three chapters. The first chapter analyzes phytosociology and the use of cultivated species in AFS. The results showed that the AFS-FF presents greater floristic richness, greater diversity of species and greater balance in the abundance of the species in relation to the AFS-BA; the fruit species present a higher level of importance and the greater number of purposes in AFS-FF and AFS-BF when compared to the arboreal species. Due to their diversified composition, structure, production and use, the AFS of Tomé-Açu constitute a sustainable alternative of agricultural production. The second chapter deals with the management of AFS through the sustainability and potential of using

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pruning waste. The results pointed out that the use of pruning as a management strategy contributes to environmental, economic and socio-cultural sustainability in the agroforestry systems from Tomé-Açu and in the activities of making wooden artifacts. Raising farmers' awareness of tree pruning depends on their knowledge of the benefits related to the sustainability of systems. The wood obtained from the pruning residue of the tree component is established as another product of the familiar agroforestry systems from Tomé-Açu. The third chapter considers the farmers‟ agroforestry perception. The results showed that family and business farmers have different perceptions about AFS; the environmental character is strongly considered by the family farmers while the business farmers are based on economic observations in the construction of the agroforestry perception; the farmers‟ awareness for the adoption of AFS depends on the increase of access to information, the valuation of products, and investments in inputs and seedlings.