Improving land management in Brazil: A perspective from producers

Latawiec, Agnieszka E.; Strassburg, Bernardo B. N.; Silva, Daniel S.; Alves-Pinto, Helena; Feltran-Barbieri, Rafael; Castro, Ana; Iribarrem, Álvaro; Rangel, Márcio Cordeiro; Kalif, K.; Gardner, Toby; Beduschi, Francisco

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2017.01.043

Cited by 68 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…However, implementation costs and difficulty in accessing credit are barriers for many producers. Among producers surveyed in Mato Grosso regarding adoption of good agricultural practices, 18% cited financial constraints as a barrier to adoption [76], and high implementation costs are also an important barrier for four of the six cattle initiatives described in this article ( Figure 12). hand, these economies of scale appear to be technology and system dependent.…”

Section: Barriers To Scaling Up Sustainable Cattle Ranchingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Results from on-the-ground efforts to promote sustainable cattle ranching in the Brazilian Amazon

Ermgassen¹,

Alcântara²,

Balmford³

et al. 2017

Preprint

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Agriculture in Brazil is booming. Brazil has the world's second largest cattle herd and is the second largest producer of soybeans, with the production of beef, soybeans, and bioethanol forecast to increase further. Questions remain, however, about how Brazil can reconcile increases in agricultural production with protection of its remaining natural vegetation. While high hopes have been placed on the potential for intensification of low-productivity cattle ranching to spare land for other agricultural uses, cattle productivity in the Amazon biome (29% of the Brazilian cattle herd) remains stubbornly low, and it is not clear how to realize theoretical productivity gains in practice. We provide results from six initiatives in the Brazilian Amazon, which are successfully improving cattle productivity in beef and dairy production on more than 500,000 hectares of pastureland, while supporting compliance with the Brazilian Forest Code. Spread across diverse geographies, and using a wide range of technologies, participating farms have improved productivity by 30-490%. High-productivity cattle ranching requires some initial investment (R$1300-6900/ha or US$410-2180/ha), with average pay-back times Sustainability 2018, 10, 1301; doi:10.3390/su10041301www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability Sustainability 2018, 10, 1301 2 of 26 of 2.5-8.5 years. We conclude by reflecting on the challenges that must be overcome to scale up these young initiatives, avoid rebound increases in deforestation, and mainstream sustainable cattle ranching in the Amazon.

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Section: Barriers To Scaling Up Sustainable Cattle Ranchingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Results from on-the-ground efforts to promote sustainable cattle ranching in the Brazilian Amazon

Ermgassen¹,

Alcântara²,

Balmford³

et al. 2017

Preprint

Self Cite

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“…These results, however, contradict situations observed in other countries. For example, in Brazil, small-scale farmers are more prone to adopt innovations because they gain more based on scale than do farmers with larger operations [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Biochar is produced by thermal decomposition of biomass (such as crop residues) in an oxygen-limited environment called pyrolysis [1]. When added to soil, biochar can improve soil waterholding capacity [2][3][4], soil pH [5][6][7] and may be used in soil remediation [8]. While a significant amount of research has been conducted worldwide, a wider interest in and research into biochar have only recently been reported in countries such as Poland [9,10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Willingness to Adopt Biochar in Agriculture: The Producer’s Perspective

et al. 2017

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Most research on biochar has focused either on the mechanistic or the biophysical aspects, and there has been relatively little research into the social applicability and acceptance of biochar as a soil enhancer in agriculture. However, whether to adopt biochar in their practice is ultimately the farmers' decision, and their willingness to do so is crucial. Here, we show the producer's perspective on adopting biochar, using Polish farmers as a case study. Poland is an interesting case study because biochar has only recently attracted the attention of researchers, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders there. We performed standardized, semi-structured interviews with 161 Polish farmers to evaluate the socioeconomic potential of biochar application in practice. We found that 27% of the respondents claimed to be familiar with biochar. The respondents with a technical, non-agricultural level of education were most familiar with the term 'biochar' (36%), followed by the group of respondents with a higher-level agricultural education (31%). It was surprising that among the latter respondents, the majority (69%) did not know the term 'biochar', either in the context used for this study or in any other context. Twenty percent of the respondents expressed an interest in using biochar, while 43% were not willing to adopt it in their agricultural practice (37% 'did not know yet'). If a farmer was familiar with the concept of sustainable agriculture, the probability of familiarity with biochar increased by 16% (p < 0.05). In addition, farmers interested in using biochar indicated that sustainable agriculture might improve the financial situation of their farms (52%). The perceived benefits of biochar that drive the willingness to adopt it included improved soil quality and increased income due to increased yields, while the constraints on its adoption were associated mainly with high costs. Our results also point to the necessity of information flow as well as engaging farmers in participatory research to adjust the research to their needs. Furthermore, our results highlight the importance of transparency with the farmers and appropriate dissemination and presentation of both the positive and the negative aspects of biochar adoption. We urge those studying biochar to engage in more interdisciplinary research and to go beyond laboratory and field research. Many innovations, even those that work, will not be adopted if socioeconomic considerations are not incorporated into the research.

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“…O uso que os produtores/proprietários agrícolas fazem de suas terras tem gerado impactos ambientais, sociais e econômicos de longo alcance desequilibrando ecossistemas no mundo todo (LATAWIEC et al, 2017). (DRUMMOND, 1988;DRUMMOND, 1997;FREITAS et al, 2006;CALMON et al, 2011).…”

Section: Restauração Florestal Na Mata Atlânticaunclassified

“…Existem diversas oportunidades para melhorar as práticas agrícolas, garantindo rendimento a agricultores e reduzindo os impactos negativos ao meio ambiente (LATAWIEC et al, 2017 Cariniana legalis e Trema micrantha. As espécies foram selecionadas após conversa com os viveiristas, que sugeriram espécies com algum grau de dificuldade de germinação e desenvolvimento.…”

Section: O Biocarvão Na Restauração Florestalunclassified

O Efeito Do Biocarvão Em Mudas Da Mata Atlântica: Uma Análise Ambiental E Socioeconômica

RODRIGUES¹

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AgradecimentosAgradeço a minha orientadora Prof a . Agnieszka Ewa Latawiec por toda dedicação, incentivo, confiança, paciência e conselhos durante esses dois anos. A convivência com sua pessoa me tranquiliza e inspira. Um ser humano realmente especial.Ao meu coorientador Prof. Etelvino Henrique Novotny. Por me apresentar a ciência, pela dedicação ao trabalho e pelas oportunidades durante esses setes anos. Como já disse em minha monografia, você é meu pai científico, exemplo de profissional ético que levarei por toda vida.Ao Prof. Rogério Ribeiro de Oliveira, pelas oportunidades nessa trajetória. Além de professor, um grande amigo.Ao Prof. Bernardo Strassburg por todas as oportunidades e em especial por me conceder o privilégio de integrar sua equipe no Instituto Internacional para Sustentabilidade (IIS).Ao Prof. Jeronimo Boelsums, por aceitar participar da avaliação deste trabalho.Ao departamento de Geografia da PUC-Rio, por todas as contribuições acadêmicas e oportunidades. É com enorme satisfação que compartilho minha trajetória acadêmica e profissional com vocês, professores admiráveis.A secretaria do Departamento de Geografia da PUC-Rio, por toda atenção durante esses últimos anos.Aos meus colegas de turma, pelas deliciosas tardes que compartilhamos. Já sinto muitas saudades! Em especial a Maria Luciene por muitas trocas no processo dessa pesquisa.Aos colegas da Embrapa Solos e do IIS. Em especial ao Carlos Alho, grande amigo, que muito contribui para o meu trabalho com conselhos e sugestões nesses últimos anos. A Ellen Fonte e Juliana Silveira do IIS pela ajuda em algumas etapas desse trabalho. A Ana Hardman, Gabriel Galvão, Luisa Lemgruber, Maiara Mendes e Vanderlucio Santana por toda ajuda no campo. Ao Gabriel Paes, amigo de longa data na PUC-Rio, pelos conselhos e ajuda no campo. A Associação do Mico Leão-Dourado e viveiristas por sempre me receberem tão bem.Ao meu namorado Lucas Marins, por todo amor, incentivo, conselhos e apoio nos momentos mais difíceis. E a minha família, aos meus pais Jose e Maria, por todo investimento e apoio em minha trajetória acadêmica; e aos meus irmãos Adriana e Alexandre por acreditarem em mim. Vocês são meus pilares e minha inspiração diária. The species'germination, height and stem diameter were measured monthly. Focal groups with viveiristas and interviews with stakeholders and cost-benefit analyses of the substract were carried out. After the fase in the nurseries the seedlings were tansplanted to a degraded area and hydrogel was added in half of these plants. The survival rate was calculated. For Schinus terebinthifolius, Senna multijuga and Trema micrantha the use of biochar in its substrates showed the best cost-benefit. Palavras-chavesUsing biochar as alternative in substrates compounds attracted the interest of the vast marjority of viveiristas. In planting, Schinus terebinthifolius seedlings showed a high survival rate; as opposed to Cariniana legalis that presented low survival for the treatments with biochar; and Senna multijuga and Trema micrantha of high to m...

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Improving land management in Brazil: A perspective from producers

Cited by 68 publications

References 28 publications

Results from on-the-ground efforts to promote sustainable cattle ranching in the Brazilian Amazon

Results from on-the-ground efforts to promote sustainable cattle ranching in the Brazilian Amazon

Willingness to Adopt Biochar in Agriculture: The Producer’s Perspective

O Efeito Do Biocarvão Em Mudas Da Mata Atlântica: Uma Análise Ambiental E Socioeconômica

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