Agro and biodiversity in family farming: potential for diversification and conservation in deforested landscapes in Amazonia

Abstract

Biodiversity conservation, forest restoration and reduction of deforestation are urgent demands of Brazilian society. In the Portal da Amazônia, an agricultural frontier inserted in the Arc of Deforestation, there is an urgent need for strategies that guarantee agricultural production with the permanence of family farmers, allied to the reduction of deforestation and the conservation of agro and biodiversity. This research brings a multidisciplinary look at the agroforestry backyards in 19 communities in two counties. We identified the cultivated agricultural and forestry species, their main uses and potential for food production, diversification of production, income generation and use and conservation of native species in 44 backyards. We also worked with the spatialization of species richness, considering the landscapes of the two municipalities. We identified 201 species with several potential uses. Of these, 48% generate income from many market sources already established in the two counties. The choice of species to be cultivated (with high diversity, low similarity between backyards, frequent use of exclusive species and implementation of native forest species), combined with the potential use of these species for consumption and commercialization, denotes the importance of backyards for productive, food and income diversification for family farming. The wealth numbers and spatial distribution of the backyards show that diversification at the local scale (rural property) implies diversification at the regional scale (county). The results indicate acceptance of the model as a production system, in addition to the simplified systems usually used in deforested areas of the Amazon. One can point them as biodiverse spaces by decision of their maintainers, who diversify the production, favor the conservation of native forest species and contribute to the development and conservation of agro and biodiversity in the region. We conclude that they can be implemented as new productive systems in Portal da Amazônia, contributing to local and regional development, generating ecological, economic and social benefits.