Why should farmers in Brazil change to Integrated Agricultural Production Systems?

Publication Type

Journal contribution (peer reviewed)

Authors

Dantas, I. R. M., Carauta, M.

Year of publication

2016

Published in

International Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Research

Page (from - to)

1931-1948

Keywords

sustainability

Increasing demand for food relies on sustainable agriculture practices to feed the worldwide population. Brazil, as a key producer of agricultural commodities, plays an important role in overcoming environmental challenges and promoting sustainability. In this context, integrated agricultural production systems (IAPS) rise as an alternative to increase agricultural efficiency due to its potential benefits such as soil fertility, higher productivity, lower use of agrochemicals, interruption of pest and disease cycles as well as income diversification. The main goal stands for strategically changing land use by integrating sustainable production of agricultural, livestock and forestry activities in the same area, through intercropping, succession or rotation, by seeking the synergistic effects between each production system component. Despite current efforts from the Brazilian Government to boost IAPS adoption, those systems have not yet been adopted in a large scale. Therefore, this study aims to identify potential synergy effects, which are more likely to be explored by Brazilian farmers. Subsequently, this paper provides insights for farmers' decision making and comprehension about the interaction of IAPS component.