Proposal for an agroforestry system in a legal dairy property reserve in Vale do Taquari/RS

Abstract

Vale do Taquari is a region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul whose milk production is one of the main economic activities developed by small family farmers in cooperation with dairy companies, whose income could vary, as it receives according to the quality of the product. Thus, the producer sees grain farming as a complement to income, and the method of planting in RS is monoculture, using pesticides to maintain plantations, an unsustainable practice. The Agroforestry Sistem (AFS) comes as a proposal for sustainable management, and can be applied in areas of Legal Reserve (LR), generating income in a place not seen by the producer as profitable. However, the objective of the study is to propose an AFS model in the LR area of a dairy farm in Vale do Taquari/RS. The method used consists of a script of interviews with the producer, analysis of soil fertility in LR, floristic study and verification of appropriate cultivars to the area in bibliographies. It was analyzed that the LR area has a slightly acidic soil due to the predominance of K in the soil, needing to balance with the basic substances Ca and Mg in all the Sample Cells (SC). Of the other fertility parameters, only Fe was not detected. For that, species were selected for green manure to recompose the nutrients in the soil, at the same time that they can reduce its acidity. It was observed that 29.5% of the species registered in the LR had agroforestry potential with commercialization of fruits, seeds and other botanical parts. To maintain the originality of the forest, native cherry, guabiroba and wild strawberry fruits were selected, as well as exotic blueberry and physalis fruits, to compose the AFS in LR. For the area of possible expansion of the AFS, native fruit were selected, species proposed by the rural producer (yerba mate, avocado and pecan) and vegetables, in addition to honey species to attract pollinators. It was concluded that it is possible to carry out sustainable management in an LR area through AFS, where this study can show the region a new form of production, in addition to offering the community a differentiated product, without the use of pesticides, which preserves the environment and promotes quality of life.