Análise econômica e socioambiental da produção extrativista de frutos do cerrado: o caso da Cooperfruto, Tocantins

Abstract

Seen as appropriate to the exploitation and expansion of agricultural activities, the Cerrado has been suffering a continuous decrease of its forest cover at a rate of 2.2 million hectares per year. Happening the replacement of its native vegetation for intensive exploration activities, evidencing the disparity of interactions between the current economic system and the environment. The Ecological Economics as a multidisciplinary science seeks to support structural solutions to environmental problems. Having its domain as the entire network of interactions between economic and ecological sectors. In this sense, the objective of this study is to evaluate from the perspective of ecological economics, the economic sustainability of the Cooperativa Agroflorestal Nordeste do Tocantins - Cooperfruto, exploration unit of native Cerrado fruits and exotics, as well analizing the influence of such social and environmental activities on its suppliers. To this end we used the Cost Benefit Analysis - CBA study of the venture’s feasibility, using different discount rates. The social analysis was performed by applying the Quality of Life Index – QLI. As well, Pressure-State-Response (PSR) method was used in the study of the activity's influence on the environmental aspects of the suppliers' properties. The results shown by CBA, according to economic rationality, portray the inviability of the enterprise. Adopting the CBA under the vision of stable subsystems it was possible to verify viability of the project by changing the production system and management of the unit. Applying the Quality of Life Index in the study of social sustainability of activities performed by suppliers it was conclude that they are classified as medium QLI. Health, communication, leisure and income indicators negatively influenced the Quality of Life Index composition. The monthly income of both groups is low, with 22% of cooperative extraction, 33% of non-extractive cooperative and 63% of non-cooperative extraction, 21% of non-extractive non-cooperative having monthly income within the salary range of 1.01 to 1.99 minimum wages. While the major contributions to the composition of the QLI suppliers indicators came from transportation, durable goods, housing, and infrastructure. By employing the PER method was verified that the collection forms used in the extraction activity developed by the suppliers of Cooperfruto have not put pressure on the explored environment. Agricultural activities, the practice of burning and the lack of works aimed at the conservation of rural roads is configured as an object of pressure on the environment, in which are inserted the suppliers’ farms. The cultivation of native plants of the Cerrado was reported by 35% of cooperative extraction, 50% of non-extractive cooperative and 75% of extractive non-cooperative, as a response to the cooperative. In general the suppliers’ properties have consolidated areas of environmental protection, but only 22% of the areas of cooperative extraction, 13% of non-extractive cooperative and 7% of the areas of non-extractive non-cooperative comply with the legal requirement and are annotated.