Banca de DEFESA: Vitor Zanotta da Cruz Santos

Uma banca de DEFESA de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : Vitor Zanotta da Cruz Santos
DATE: 07/07/2023
TIME: 14:00
LOCAL: REMOTO
TITLE:

PERCEPTION OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND ADAPTATION STRATEGIES IN ORGANIC AND CONVENTIONAL FAMILY FARMING IN RIO GRANDE DO SUL

KEY WORDS:

Climate Change, Family Farming, Organic Farming, Perception, Adaptation, Rio Grande do Sul

PAGES: 154
BIG AREA: Outra
AREA: Ciências Ambientais
SUMMARY:

Human action may cause an increase of over 1.5°C in the planet's temperature by 2030, compared to the pre-industrial era. This will lead to severe consequences for human life and the environment. Among the irreversible impacts reported by the IPCC are changes in the frequency and intensity of rainfall, heatwaves, and prolonged droughts. These effects threaten all sectors that depend on affected ecosystem services, such as family agriculture, which is the basis of global food production. Despite family agriculture generally having a sustainable character, environmental impacts are present whenever an intensive production pattern with chemical inputs is adopted. When family farmers choose to adopt an organic production model, they are using a strategy that includes adaptation to the effects of climate change and, at the same time, mitigation of its causes, in addition to the well-known contributions to healthy food production. The state of Rio Grande do Sul has been devastated by extreme weather events and has suffered severe agricultural losses in two-thirds of its municipalities, which declared a state of emergency in 2022 due to prolonged droughts, frequent heatwaves, and intensified wildfires. This study compares the perception of the phenomenon and how farmers are seeking to adapt. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with family farmers cultivating conventional and organic products in the municipality of Santa Clara do Sul. It was found that most of the interviewed family farmers are aware of climate change, particularly the extreme events of recent years, including decreased precipitation and increased temperatures. Data from meteorological stations in the region indicate that summers are hotter, and annual precipitation has been reduced. When comparing the groups of organic and conventional farmers, the divergences regarding the production model were: education level, access to public policies in response to climate change, expectations for future climate, and perception of agriculture's interference in climate change. The absence of differences in other sampled aspects contrasts with the literature on the comparison between production models, which is justified by the uniqueness of the context in Santa Clara do Sul. In this municipality, the organic transition has been shown to be independent of social characteristics and individual motivations, as is usually the case worldwide, precisely because the local government has created a public policy for organic transition with a focus on family agriculture in general. The research findings contribute to the academic understanding of the reality of family farmers in Brazil in the face of climate change and can help formulate public policies aimed at adapting the sector to the challenges posed by climate change.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Externa à Instituição - DANIELA NOGUEIRA SOARES - INCT
Interno - 2196754 - JOSE LUIZ DE ANDRADE FRANCO
Presidente - ***.695.087-** - MARCEL BURSZTYN - UnB
Externo à Instituição - PAULO DABDAB WAQUIL - UFRGS