Agribusiness and environmental conservation in tropical forests in the eastern Amazon

Abstract

Agribusiness in tropical forests could provide incentives that generate employment and income through public and/or private investments capable of reducing carbon emissions and encouraging the efficient use of natural resources through environmentally sustainable management. The objective of this study was to analyze the agribusiness practices adopted by cooperatives and associations of farmers in Pará state (Eastern Amazon, Brazil) and the importance they attribute to environmental conservation. The methodology consisted of remotely conducting interviews based on a questionnaire with farmer cooperatives and associations. We found that the main products produced by the cooperatives and associations were fruits and their derivatives. In addition, we identified a significant positive relationship between the operation duration of a cooperative or association and the number of products they produced. Regarding the challenges faced by cooperatives, legal challenges were most notable, while the challenges faced by associations were related to environmental issues. Notably, associations and cooperatives showed low agreement considering the importance of each conservation practices analyzed. The results also suggested that the current subsidies granted to cooperatives and associations have nonsignificant impacts on the intensity of their adoption of environmental conservation practices, implying that monetary incentives are effective only with cooperatives/associations that have weaker attitudes toward the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices. Agricultural policy should consider both economic support and effective and continuous programs focusing on the sustainable use of natural resources.