Sociobiodiversity: understand the impact of this concept on the economy

Have you ever heard of sociobiodiversity? The word may be little known, but it represents the meeting of biological diversity and society. Biologist and federal researcher Frank Alarcón explains that sociobiodiversity is a very recent concept that seeks to express the interrelation between two components: the complex biodiversity existing on the planet and the complex diversity of sociocultural systems existing on the planet and in all its continents. “There are different groups that manifest complex social and why not say cultural relationships. All these elements gathered and considered in their complexity and in their interactions were gathered in this term called sociobiodiversity”, he evaluates.

The researcher says that the products that characterize this concept are those that are extracted from more traditional communities, such as riverside communities, quilombolas, indigenous groups, who through their traditions, through their knowledge, manage to extract from their living environments products that may be of interest to the community, like the products that are usually extracted from the forest. Within the Brazilian context, Frank Alarcón states that it is easy to identify some products that are very representative of this socio-biodiversity concept, such as açaí, guarana and tapioca.

“Everywhere in Brazil you go, you will find drinks made from guarana, not only drinks, but also other meals, other types of food or products with guarana. For example, it is a seed that has been present in Brazilian life for a long time and that manages to bring together this concept of socio-biodiversity in a very simple way”, he exemplifies.

He cites the Amazon Region, with its 9 states, the Pantanal, the Caatinga, the Pampa and the Atlantic Forest as possible places to find products that dialogue with the concept of socio-biodiversity.

The economy and the environment

For the specialist in the environment, Charles Dayler, socio-biodiversity has a very large representation for the country’s economy. He points out that these initiatives generate financial resources and, consequently, help to improve the lives of traditional populations. According to the specialist, this gives them a certain margin of independence in relation to the government and also works to improve their quality of life.

“When we think of a country where you have a population that becomes self-sufficient through the exploitation of its own work and resources that are in its possession. This is interesting for the country because it favors the development of this population and favors the development of this population locally. In other words, it will improve the local economy, so in addition to the directly affected population, you will have indirect benefits”, he stresses.

As this concept is still recent, biologist and researcher Frank Alarcón reveals that the data are still very modest. “It is necessary that much more robust studies be carried out, applied by specialists in order to understand what is the distribution, what is the presence and what are the numbers that move an economy that is based on products of nature”. He recognizes that the representativeness of products that dialogue with this concept of socio-biodiversity is quite significant, but it is still less than what would be desired.

In the opinion of the specialist in the environment, socio-biodiversity can bring advantages both for the environment and for agribusiness. “When we have this type of production, the use of inputs is not intensive, so you will have agroforestry systems, family farming, permaculture, a lot of organic farming and all of this leads to less soil intervention, less use of pesticides. When you are going to use fertilizers, some of the material used comes from organic sources, so when we think in environmental terms, the impact is smaller and so are the benefits”, he observes.

Crop Plan 2023/2024

The federal government announced the Plano Safra 2023/2024, a financing plan for agriculture and livestock farming in the country, to encourage the strengthening of environmentally sustainable production systems. The measure also provides for a reduction in interest rates for recovery of pastures and rewards for rural producers who adopt agricultural practices considered more sustainable.

R$ 364.22 billion will be allocated to support the national agricultural production of medium and large rural producers until June 2024. of 26% compared to the previous year. Another R$92.1 billion will be for investments (+28%).

This year’s Crop Plan aims to strengthen medium-sized rural producers with greater availability of resources for funding and investment. The annual gross income limit for inclusion in Pronamp was also increased from R$2.4 million to R$3 million. The change takes into account the rise in prices of agricultural products. An increase from 25% to 30% of the requirement for directing Mandatory Resources to rural credit operations at financial institutions is also planned. In the case of Pronamp, the sub-requirement for funding increased from 35% to 45%.