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Agroecological practices are alternatives for valuing and conserving the biodiversity of the Amazon as well as for integrating family farmers who survive from the exploitation of natural resources in the face of the expansion of large agricultural projects that have advanced in the region. In this respect, the objective of this study was to evaluate the scientific production related to agroecology in the Brazilian Amazon, in order to identify the main research gaps and set the foundations for new studies that will strengthen the debate on and policies to encourage sustainable agriculture. Our methodology was based on a systematic review of the literature using four academic research databases. The studies were published from 2000 to 2019. Through our database research, we obtained 36 articles that focused on agroecology in the Brazilian Amazon. Our results showed a certain level of diversity in terms of the geographic distribution of the municipalities included in the studies analyzed. Additionally, we detected diversity in terms of the dimensions addressed. For instance, reference was made to sustainable production systems based on agroecological principles, with emphasis on agroforestry systems. Additionally, socioeconomic and cultural aspects, such as the valuation of traditional knowledge and the importance of women in rural areas, were analyzed. Thus, the realization of in-depth studies that will analyze the process of agroecological transition with the use of different techniques, such as the statistical treatment of data and geoprocessing, can qualify agricultural production based on the agroecological practices in the Amazon.

O trabalho analisa as características socioeconômicas e ambientais de quintais urbanos no município de Marituba, Região Metropolitana de Belém, estado do Pará. Os dados foram obtidos a partir da aplicação de 32 questionários, junto aos participantes do projeto Quintais Amazônicos Maritubenses, tecnologia social que desenvolve metodologias, técnicas e produtos em interação com a comunidade, visando inclusão produtiva e transformação social. Entre as famílias entrevistadas, 50% moram no município há mais de 15 anos, 81% são mulheres, o que evidencia o intenso protagonimo feminino no processo produtivo dos quintais. Constatou-se que 62% dos entrevistados possuem mais de 40 anos de idade e 41% possuem ensino médio completo. Espécies frutíferas, plantas medicinais e hortaliças compõem os grupos de plantas mais cultivados nos quintais, com percentuais de ocorrência de 91%, 72% e 72%, respectivamente, destacando-se dentro destes o limão (Citrus aurantiifolia), a pimenta dedo-de-moça (Capsicum baccatum L.) e a hortelã (Mentha spicata L.). A implementação do projeto Quintais Amazônicos Maritubenses, além de proporcionar o incremento na renda por meio da fabricação de subprodutos para comercialização, ampliou o nível de conscientização ambiental das famílias que passaram a reutilizar alguns materiais para a adubação dos quintais urbanos e aplicar defensivos naturais no controle de pragas e doenças das plantas cultivadas.

This study aims to characterize the agricultural production systems under urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in the Curuçambá neighborhood; identify the main techniques and technologies adopted, cultivations and creations conducted, and the activity relationship within the Metropolitan Region of Belém (RMB); and estimate the production contribution to family consumption complementarily and exploratorily. Data were obtained through interviews conducted among 63 residents in the neighborhood (representing 52.50% of the universe) by monitoring the food consumption of six producers’ families for two weeks and georeferencing images from Google Satellite. Farmers were mainly from the northeast of Pará (57.14%) and other Brazilian states such as Maranhão (9.52%), Ceará (9.52%), and Paraíba (1.59%). Clearly, urban agriculture in the region was established during the migration of rural areas to Amazonian cities. Generally, most farmers had reached elementary school II (69.84%) and had an average monthly income of one to two minimum wages (50.79%). Agricultural production was promoted by approximately 111 residences in the neighborhood and was based on horticulture and small livestock keeping. Additionally, the items analyzed were allegedly produced in six production systems: common beds (71.43%), suspended beds (12.70%), fruticulture (6.35%), agroforestry yards (3.17%), hydroponics (4.76%), and aquaponics (1.59%), and were directed to supply the RMB markets. On average, 30.89% of farmers’ income covered family consumption; we estimated the opportunity cost of consumption for the five main products cultivated in the neighborhood (jambu, lettuce, coriander, chicory, and cariru) as R$ 79.88 monthly, accounting for 8.37% of the current minimum wage at that time.

O crescimento na geração de resíduos sólidos tornou o seu gerenciamento um serviço essencial para as cidades, sendo a coleta domiciliar e seletiva partes fundamentais desse processo. Assim, o objetivo do artigo foi criar um Indicador de Coleta de Resíduos Sólidos (ICRS) dos municípios paraenses, a partir dos dados do Sistema Nacional de Informações sobre Saneamento. A metodologia foi baseada na aplicação da análise fatorial que possibilitou a criação de um indicador, englobando variáveis relativas a coleta seletiva organizada, cobertura da coleta domiciliar urbana e legislação de resíduos sólidos. Os resultados demonstraram que 90% dos 20 municípios analisados apresentaram melhorias em seus ICRS, entre os anos de 2012 e 2018, porém também evidenciaram que a promulgação de legislação não é fator fundamental na implantação de sistemas de coleta seletiva. Dessa forma, políticas públicas mais eficazes são necessárias para que os municípios paraenses alcancem melhores resultados no gerenciamento de seus resíduos sólidos.

This study investigates how socioeconomic, environmental, and institutional variables affect the growth of cattle ranching in the state of Pará, Brazilian Amazon. Covering the period from 1995 to 2019, we used an econometric model based on the Ordinary Least Squares method. Resultingly, we found that the price of fat cattle and the supply of rural credit exert a positive effect on herd growth. The deforestation rates are directly associated with herd expansion. More precisely, the variable for the deforestation rate, lagged by two periods, significantly impacts herd increment in the present time. Furthermore, a essential step towards increasing the cattle herd was the creation of the Agricultural Defense Agency of the state of Pará. Overall, this study shows that the expansion of cattle ranching in Pará is a multivariate phenomenon determined by socioeconomic, environmental, and institutional dynamics of the regional and national economies.

This study evaluates the effects of socioeconomic, environmental, and institutional variables on the bee honey market in the state of Pará, from 1990 to 2019. The generalized method of moments was used to create the econometric model for estimation. The results show that the supply of honey is price-inelastic and that the rate of forest deforestation strongly impacts honey production. The creation of the Federação das Associações de Apicultores do Estado do Pará was denoted an important institutional landmark for the beekeeping production chain; however, the effects of incentive policies such as rural credit are limited and do not meet the needs of beekeepers. Institutional market policies are ineffective and rarely accessed by beekeepers; however, they represent an opportunity to diversify marketing channels. Honey is a product of biodiversity that is economically classified as a superior good and its demand is price-inelastic. Honey and its derivatives lack marketing strategies to enable their competitive insertion in new markets and government programs; these would enable access to broader markets in cities and lead to the acquisition of more consumers in the future.

Objetivou-se com o estudo identificar a concentração espacial da produção e analisar as fontes de crescimento e instabilidade da renda da cultura do milho no estado do Pará. Foram utilizadas séries temporais de área colhida, produção, produtividade, valor bruto da produção e preços do milho no estado do Pará, no período de 1990 a 2018, obtidas a partir do Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE). Para avaliar o nível de concentração espacial, foram determinados o Quociente Locacional e o Índice de Gini. A avaliação das fontes de crescimento foi efetuada com base no modelo Shift-Share que permite decompor a variação no valor bruto da produção nos efeitos área colhida, rendimento e preço. A instabilidade da renda foi estimada por meio da determinação do Índice de Cuddy Della Valle. Os resultados indicam que as flutuações no valor bruto da produção no início da década de 1990 estiveram associadas a expansão das áreas de cultivo, contrastando com o cenário atual onde as flutuações sofrem grande influência da produtividade. As microrregiões mais especializadas na produção de milho são: Paragominas, Conceição do Araguaia, Parauapebas e Santarém. A concentração da produção é relativamente alta e a renda gerada pela cultura apresenta baixa instabilidade por ser fortemente associada à estabilidade dos preços nos últimos anos.