Da lenha ao óleo de Palma: a transformação da agricultura no Nordeste Paraense.

Abstract

From firewood to palm oil shows a transformation in agriculture which has occurred in the Northeast region of the State of Pará from colonization (1875) until today, considering several government and private investments made to promote development of this region, mainly those related to Belém-Bragança railroad (1883) and the highways built in the 1960’s. Firewood means an initial phase in the history of railroad transportation in the Amazon, with the introduction of steam locomotives and the process of induced human settlement aimed to ensure production of food, fibers, wood and fuel to urban centers which indicated their consolidation in the state of Pará, and to large human contingents who ventured into rubber production, the Brazilian black gold, in several areas of the Amazon. However, almost a century and a half later after this settlement has occurred, in one of the oldest settlements in the region where many different productions have occurred (tobacco, fibers, caesarweed, cotton, black pepper, orange, cowpea. mining) slash and burn is still in use including a type of agriculture where farmers hardly produce enough for their own subsistence. That may be observed from, social, economic and technological indicators for the region among the worst in the state of Pará, which are already bad within a national context. On the other side, with the expansion of palm oil plantations and palm oil production, the latest federal and state government project to enhance progress in the Amazon, renew expectations of wealth for the region. This study evaluated the impacts of the settlement process in Northeast Pará indicating the main aspects of its failure to plan endogenous development mechanisms capable of proportioning lasting socioeconomic and environmental benefits for groups of society, especially when considering that this mesoregion emerges as one of the largest poles of livestock production in the state of Pará economy or 42.09% of the Gross Production Volume of permanent crops in the region (Southwest Pará, the second largest participation contributes with 28.46% of GPV) and 26.21% and 9.19% of GPV of temporary crops and livestock respectively). The other aspect to be considered is that the micro region concentrates 23.58% of the state population, in an area which represents 10.6% of the state of Pará, and where there is a growing expansion of palm oil farming which may configure as regional development leverage. To subsidize a search for more appropriate explanation to a complex problem of development in the Amazon, we sought fundaments from explanations of theories of social capital, institutionalism, and sustainable development. In most part, regional development is still lagging, especially in the Northeastern section of the state, meaning a reflex of inefficient, unarticulated and discontinued public policies throughout the years, especially those aiming to strengthen the social, technological, and human capital and provide the territory with an economic infrastructure capable of sustaining levels of investment up to the existing productive potentialities. The myth of eldorado, of lasting wealth have also compromised the change in mentality and, as a result prevented the necessary investments to provide the region with some basics, mainly appropriate social and human capital to conduct the necessary structural transformations.