Paper short abstract:

In Amazonas, intensive small farms can be more sustainable than commercial farms, thus reducing the pressure to clear primary forest. This requires a recognition of their expertise and knowledge together with reorientation of the programmes of a range of agricultural organisations to support them.

Paper long abstract:

For agriculture to be sustainable, it should have no adverse impact on the environment, be suitable for the farmer and improve productivity and resilience over time (Pretty 2018). In Amazonas, Brasil much primary forest has been cleared over several decades and it is essential to secure livelihoods and limit further biodiversity loss. Small farmers are major producers of premium Amazon specific crops such as cupuracu and acai which have great potential for increased production and expanded markets and they could achieve more sustainable & productive agroforestry on small plots than large extensive farms manage and without further land clearance. For example, 'Balde Cheio' (Full Bucket) is a dairy system adapted from commercial agriculture which demonstrated that with good management and minimal inputs, ten cows could be kept productively on one hectare. However,the majority of settlement farmers lack access to technical advice and support as this is heavily targetted towards commercial farms. Given recent high levels of burning, it is imperative to model sustainable solutions to prevent further forest loss.

Many challenges remain to ensure effective participation and voice for small farmers including addressing the unequal power between communities – who are experts in their own domain – and agricultural professionals/experts across the social interface. Technology can be shaped by both expert ‘technicos’ and local actors but only if the gap created by the social interface is successfully negotiated. This research examines the situation of small farmers in Presidente Figueiredo and potential ways to overcome the constraints of their situation.