Perception of grain farmers in the brazilian Cerrado regarding the consumption of bioinputs: a case study

Abstract

Sustainable agricultural practices aim to improve soil quality, promote biodiversity, preserve the water cycle, capture carbon, and promote the welfare of the rural-workers and an-imals, while producing foods with profitability. However, little is known about the conditions and motivations that lead the farmers to know, adopt and implement these sustainable practices, such as, for example, the use of bioinputs. Thus, the objective of this study was to qualitatively analyze the perceptions of grain farmers of the Brazilian Cerrado regarding the use of bioinputs on their properties. For that, semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with farmers from the Rio Verde region, in the state of Goiás. After transcribing the audio of the interviews, the texts obtained were analyzed by Atlas TI software. Content analysis was performed through the elaboration of codes created by deduction and induction. Thereby, concepts such as knowledge, long-term vision, experimentation, cost-benefit ratio, asset specificity, influencers, regulation, and independence were indicated by the interviewed farmers as important opportunities and/or limitations for the adoption of bioinputs.