Socioeconomic, environmental and productive diagnosis of agroecosystems in the Pirapora river

Abstract

The present issue aimed describes the diagnosis of 25 Agroecosystems located in the Pirapora river micro basin, in Piedade city, São Paulo/Brasil, focusing particularly on the management practices adopted by the agricultures of this area, associating to socioeconomic, productive and environmental implications of these practices for the micro basin. The focus in the watershed, besides their legal aspects, reflects its geographical importance and justify its priority actions for integrated management, conservation and natural resource management. In this study, was important to define the indicators that reflect the complexity of management were studied based on the method proposed by MESMIS, as well as by systematic methodological experience Agronomic Institute of Paraná–IAPAR, systemic approach. The main results arising from systematized this work were: a significant presence of family farmers in the region, the incompatibility of management techniques adopted in Agroecosystems related to environmental and soilcharacteristics of the region, the weakness of organizations among the farmers, the narrow market for the sale restricted to the middleman, a high dependence on external inputs to the system resulting from a conventional farming, a still using of pesticides that has been banned, the impairment of water resources and public health of residents, limited preservation of water sources and lack of sanitation. These factors indicate that the agriculture currently practiced in the region is undermining the sustainability of Agroecosystems, what means the degradation of natural resources and, consequently, of their own agricultural activities in the watershed.