SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF CERRADO FRUITS IN THE NORTHWEST REGION OF MINAS GERAIS: ALTERNATIVES FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE BIOME

Abstract

In Brazil, the Cerrado stands out as the second largest national biome, with a great diversity of products potentially viable for economic exploitation. In view of the devastation condition that the Biome has suffered in recent decades, an attempt was made to conduct a study in the rural area of the municipality of Arinos, in the Northwest Region of Minas Gerais, on the extractive practices employed there. The objective was to verify whether these practices are sustainable and contribute to the preservation of the biome. To this end, a study was carried out with Copabase (sustainable family farming cooperative based on the solidarity economy Ltda), which used interviews with cooperative actors and also with a group of cooperative and autonomous agroextractivists. The approach adopted was qualitative. In addition to the interviews, on-site visits were also carried out, to observe the natural behavior of the interviewees in their routine in the field, in the harvest, handling and sale of fruits, as well as the work of the cooperative. As a result, parameters were presented for the constitution of public policies for the preservation of the cerrado through the sustainable extraction of its fruits and the valorization of family agriculture. The cooperative's role in organizing and providing technical support to agroextractivists was highlighted, with the insertion of products in the consumer market.