Agronegócio, meio ambiente e desenvolvimento regional; perspectivas e contradições recentes da produção de grãos no Oeste baiano

Abstract

This thesis analyzes the relationships between the grain production process in western Bahia and its environmental sustainability in the period from 2006 to 2019. The main objective is to analyze the pattern of development and sustainability of the expansion of grain production in the municipalities of Barreiras, Formosa do Rio Preto, Luís Eduardo Magalhães and São Desidério, main grain producers in western Bahia. For this, it adopts the qualitative-quantitative method of investigation. Initially, it presents the theoretical debate around Environmental and Ecological Economics regarding the sustainability of agricultural production dynamics in the West of the State of Bahia. It then traces the profile of agricultural production in the contemporary Bahian economy, evaluating the role of grain producing municipalities in the West region, as well as their contribution to the economic dynamics of the state and to regional development. Subsequently, it analyzes the potential for contamination of agricultural soils by pesticides in the municipalities of the region during the period and this is done based on the theoretical formulations of agricultural environmental sustainability proposed by the - Agricultural Environmental Sustainability Index - ISAGRI, with a view to estimating the Use and Potential of Contamination by Agricultural Pesticides - IDEF adapted to the regional reality of western Bahia, especially in the municipalities mentioned above. In addition, it investigates the use of water in the selected crops, and, for that, it prepares the estimate for each municipality. Regarding the use and consumption of water resources, the calculation was used to estimate the Water footprint and Virtual Water. The results of the application of the IDEF, from the point of view of environmental sustainability, the corn, cotton and bean crops reached the index in the range considered sustainable. Only the soybean crop reached an index considered unsustainable. The results found in relation to the estimate of water consumption demonstrate that the data on the water footprint of the grain producing municipalities in the West of Bahia over the 14 years analyzed, has soybeans as the crop with the greatest variation and increase in water use in the production system. Based on these results, the current scenario supports an increase in the expansion of the soybean planted area, thus contributing to the intensification of land use and environmental degradation. The soybean crop presented environmental sustainability indices ranging from bad to very bad. That said, the exploitation of agricultural production of commodities, especially soybeans, configures a productive pattern that contributes to the degradation of the local environment, since it tends to intensify soil contamination and water consumption to dilute such residues due to amount of pesticides used in its production process.