Diagnosis of the sustainability of rural milk producing properties in dry rice microbacy

Abstract

Milk production plays an important role in the Brazilian and Rio Grande do Sul economy, generating important returns in taxes and income generation in 205,158 rural establishments, plus other jobs in the production chain. In the Vale do Taquari, dairy production in small farms also plays an important socioeconomic role, however, it has repercussions on environmental impacts such as erosion and water contamination. This work aimed to diagnose the environmental sustainability of rural dairy farms located in the Arroio da Seca, watershed, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, aiming to include data from the native vegetation. Interviews, visits, satellite image analysis and phytosociological survey of tree vegetation were used to obtain the data, which were tabulated in a spreadsheet. There were problems in the management of manure, signs of erosion, invasion of permanent preservation areas and irregular storage of agrochemicals. Six properties were considered with ‘regular’ sustainability, as well as five as ‘good’ and one as ‘bad’. In this study, there was a positive but non-significant correlation between the Shannon diversity index and the sustainability score. Eleven properties were classified as having excellent tree species diversity. It is proposed to create a diagnostic software to expedite analysis and minimize subjectivity.