Impacto da bovinocultura leiteira de base familiar em área sob influência do corredor ecológico da Mantiqueira

Abstract

Contemporary society faces problems arising from impacts to the environment, causing damage to the countryside, agricultural production and family farming. This study aimed to know the relationship of man field with his work environment, evaluating management practices used by him to guarantee a living for his family and their financial stability. It were interviewed school-age young adults and milk producers of thirteen family farms located around the Mantiqueira Ecological Corridor under influence of Ibitipoca State Park. . The physical and socioeconomic characteristics of the study area was based on relief, vegetation, climate, use and land cover, the local economy, the relationship between the community and the Ibitipoca State Park, and communities profile. It was used a qualitative-quantitative methodology named Discourse of Collective Subject (DCS),, with tabulation and organization of interviews by means of the Qualiquantisoft® Software. Based on the PSR (Pressure-State- Response) model, indicators were proposed that generated pressure indexes on the producer s decision making (IP), for the application state of management practices (IE) and for the response of the environment to the producer s management (IR). The property sustainability index (ISP) was calculated from the arithmetic mean between IP, IE and IR, and indicated the evolutionary trend for these properties.The results indicate that the study area has a history of environmental, social and economic pressure. Despite the intense scrutiny and understanding of the need environmental conservation, a variety of environmentally inadequate management practices are used in order to supply family demands and maintainining the family income. Farmers and school-age young adults consider the environment an obstacle to production and stay in the field. We conclude that, despite the historical tradition of agriculture in the studied area, the way in which dairy cattle activity has been developed can compromise environmental integrity and therefore the life quality and the local population income.