The Intersectionality Between Amazon and Commodities Production: A Close Look at Sustainability

Adriane Terezinha Schneider, Rosangela Rodrigues Dias, Mariany Costa Deprá, Darissa Alves Dutra, Richard Luan Silva Machado, Cristiano Ragagnin de Menezes, Leila Queiroz Zepka and Eduardo Jacob-Lopes ()
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Adriane Terezinha Schneider: Rural Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, UFSM, Roraima Avenue 1000, Santa Maria 97105-900, RS, Brazil
Rosangela Rodrigues Dias: Rural Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, UFSM, Roraima Avenue 1000, Santa Maria 97105-900, RS, Brazil
Mariany Costa Deprá: Rural Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, UFSM, Roraima Avenue 1000, Santa Maria 97105-900, RS, Brazil
Darissa Alves Dutra: Rural Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, UFSM, Roraima Avenue 1000, Santa Maria 97105-900, RS, Brazil
Richard Luan Silva Machado: Rural Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, UFSM, Roraima Avenue 1000, Santa Maria 97105-900, RS, Brazil
Cristiano Ragagnin de Menezes: Rural Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, UFSM, Roraima Avenue 1000, Santa Maria 97105-900, RS, Brazil
Leila Queiroz Zepka: Rural Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, UFSM, Roraima Avenue 1000, Santa Maria 97105-900, RS, Brazil
Eduardo Jacob-Lopes: Rural Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, UFSM, Roraima Avenue 1000, Santa Maria 97105-900, RS, Brazil

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 10, 1-18

Abstract: Food production’s environmental, economic, and social challenges should be demystified through quantitative data. Therefore, the objective of this paper was to investigate the ecoregional sustainability of the Amazon biome from the perspective of the environmental life cycle, economic feasibility, and social life cycle analysis, emphasizing the pillars of sustainability in the production of three commodities: soybean, beef cattle, and Brazil nuts. Carbon footprint, net present value, and worker endpoint were the metrics evaluated. According to the results found in this study, the livestock presented greater environmental burdens in terms of carbon balance when compared to the production of Brazil nuts and soybean production with carbon balances in the order of 4.75 tCO 2 eq/ha, −0.02 tCO 2 eq/ha, and −1.20 tCO 2 eq/ha, respectively. From an economic viewpoint, the extractive production of Brazil nuts presented the highest net profit per hectare/year (USD 559.21), followed by the agricultural system (USD 533.94) and livestock (USD 146.19). Finally, in relation to the social aspect of the production systems analyzed, the negative impacts linked to beef cattle production are related to the subcategories of forced labor and equal opportunities, and the positive impacts linked to soybean production are related to the subcategories of salary and benefits. The results highlight a genuine and sustainable balance in Brazil nuts extraction, presenting it as an investment for a sustainable future while demystifying the multifaceted information related to food production as a whole, in order to assist in decision-making and the formulation of public policies.

Keywords: soybean; beef; Brazil nuts; life cycle assessment; social life cycle; economic performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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