Aspectos Socioeconômicos e Ambientais em Assentamentos que Produzem Mamona: um Estudo de Caso em Recreio e Nova Canaã, Quixeramobim - CE

Abstract

The search for new alternatives of renewable energy is of great importance, since the issue of global warming has caused adverse consequences for the population. Resulting sources of vegetable oils for biodiesel production have been adopted in Brazil and are a good option so that farmers may be inserted in the production chain of biofuels. Within the semiarid Northeast, castor bean has been used because it is an appropriate culture semiarid condition. From this understanding, this work was the general purpose of analyzing and comparing the economic, social and environmental groups of producers rather than producers of castor in the settlements Recreio and Nova Canaã, and the specific objectives were: (i) review the indicators quality of life, social equity, environmental and economic sustainability among non-producers and producers of castor, (ii) measure the costs of production and income of producers of castor oil with the planting and sale in 2009 and (iii) assess the environmental situation by analyzing the variation of soil chemical properties depending on the plantations. The methodology was based on three aspects in order to cover an interdisciplinary approach. First, we adopted the method using statistical sampling in a study in two settlements and from these samples were calculated for quality of life, social equity, environmental, economic and from these sustainability index. The second aspect was calculated farmers' income through the calculation of costs, revenue and profit with the planting of castor beans using as a base year of 2009. In the third aspect, the soil was evaluated in cultivated areas and preserved areas by collecting composite samples and performing chemical and physical analysis of the material in the laboratory. Among the results obtained it was concluded that there was no significant difference between groups of producers rather than producers of castor oil o growth of capital and environmental, but there was difference in the indices of quality of life and economic sustainability. No consistent increase in income between the producers of castor oil. In pedological point was proven that the preserved areas are shown with a higher content of organic matter and nutrients, suggesting a degradation in the cultivated area