Sistema De Produção Cafeeira: utilizando o Environmental Life Cycle Costing e o Economic Value Added como alternativa de valoração ecossistêmica

Abstract

Over the decades there is an intensified concern to preserve natural resources, while maintaining food production. Thus, it is necessary to demonstrate the value of ecosystem services in agricultural production systems. In view of this, this thesis has the general objective of monetarily valuing the ecosystem services of a conservationist and conventional management system in coffee production in the state of Minas Gerais. Specifically, it is intended to: systematically review which methodologies have been used for valuing ecosystem services and their limitations; analyze GHG emissions and carbon sequestration comparing two different coffee management systems (conservationist and conventional) and use the Environmental Life Cycle Costing (E-LCC) method together with the Economic Value Added (EVA) technique to measure ecosystem services. The results of this research indicate that, in general, there are methodologies that value ecosystem services and that over the years these methodologies have been improved. However, they have not yet used the Environmental Life Cycle Costing (E-LCC) methodology and the Economic Value Added (EVA) technique together to value ecosystem services of climate regulation in coffee plantations. In addition, it should be noted that the conservationist system has the best environmental performance, both emitting less GHG and sequestering a greater amount of C per hectare. At the same time that the economic performance was also superior in this system, as the EVA was superior by about 50%, consequently the valuation of the ecosystem service of climate regulation through carbon pricing followed the same trend. Finally, the hypothesis of this thesis was tested and proven, since both methodologies were efficient in valuing the proposed ecosystem service, including the externalities hitherto ignored if only EVA or E-LCC were used individually.