Socioeconomic aspect of family agriculturists extractives of the cumbaru fruit in the town of Poconé, Pantanal of Mato Grosso

Abstract

The Dipteryx alata Vogel (cumbaru) is an arboreal specie, of economic importance due to the attributes of its fruit as human and animal food. It has gained attention in conservation discussion circles as an alternative for sustainable exploration and in the composition of biodiversity production chains. It has economic-social importance to the researched community, because it provides an alternative for occupation and income to family rural agriculturists. It was intended to trace the socioeconomic profile of family agriculturists that develop extractive activity of the fruit of cumbaru in the town of Pocone in Mato Grosso. Data were collected through interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire answered by twenty-two agriculturists, selected by the non-probability sampling, by the"snowball" technique, in the first semester of 2014.  It was found that the extractive agent is represented by traditional communities descendants of Indians and Quilombolas, thus small rural farmers. The extractives are predominantly made by women, which ages may vary between 29 to 68 years old and illiteracy percentage is of 31%. The extractive of the fruit of cumbaru is among the three main income sources of 82% of the households and contributes to the payment of the main expenses, such as clothing and food. The extractive activity in the rural areas of Pocone contributes to the permanence of the farmers in the lands, showing economic, social and environment development.