Balanço socioambiental como instrumento de avaliação da agricultura familiar: evidências do Centro-Oeste a partir do censo agropecuário

Abstract

The present study aimed to develop a socio-environmental balance of family farming in the Central-West region of Brazil. Built from non-monetary indicators extracted from the Brazilian Agricultural Census conducted by the IBGE, the research sought to identify sustainable agricultural practices, the use of inputs, technologies, and the infrastructure conditions available to producers. The methodology employed was descriptive, qualitative, and quantitative, based on documentary analysis of secondary data from the IBGE reports of the most recent Agricultural Census (2017). The data were organized into an adapted socio-environmental balance statement model, structured around thematic axes such as Sustainable Practices, Use of Inputs, and Infrastructure. The results provided an overview of sustainability practices in the region, revealing both advancements and significant challenges, particularly the low adoption of conservation practices such as green manure, which was used by only 10.58% of family farming establishments in the region in 2017. The main contribution of this study lies in the use of IBGE secondary data to quantify and map the adoption of sustainable practices at the regional level, offering concrete support for the formulation of rural development strategies, although the research was limited to the indicators available in the 2017 Census.