The Program “Produtor de Água e Floresta” in Rio Claro/RJ as a tool for environmental management: the profile and environmental awareness of participant producers

Abstract

The payment for ecosystem services (PES) is a tool that has been adopted to stimulate the taking  of actions that can contribute to the environmental recovery and preservation by means of the voluntary participation  in conservation programs by farmers. One of the PES experiences already implemented in Brazil is the Program “Produtor de Água e Floresta” in  the city of Rio Claro/RJ, a strategic area for the supply of water to the city of Rio de Janeiro and its metropolitan area. Through  PES, rural producers are paid for the provision of ecosystem services. As it is a voluntary participation program, it is important to study the variables that can contribute to increase the number of participants and the program effectiveness. The purpose of this study is to discuss the social and economic characteristics, the perception regarding environmental sustainability and ecosystem services, the environmental awareness of farmers who are participating in the PES under  study, as well as the conditioning factors that influence farmers’ participation. Moreover, we intend to assess the implementation of the program and its results. We have conducted  semi-structured interviews with 29 out of 59 participating farmers. Results indicate that most o farmers who took part in the project already adopted conservation practices and chose to participate led by the environmental awareness they already had. This shows the need to stimulate other farmers who have not yet adopted such practices to participate in  the project, elevating their marginal earnings. According to the farmers, amounts paid  are low and do not stimulate adhesion by new members. We also noticed that the group under study see  the environment as crucial for their, their families and other species’ well-being, understanding the  importance of ecosystem services that directly or indirectly affect them.