Study on sustainability: social, economic and environmental aspects in five beekeepers' associations in the outback of Paraiba

Abstract

The beekeeping is an activity developed in various Brazilian states, and particularly in the state of Paraíba and other states of the northeast is climatic and environmental conditions quite favorable. An important social aspect in the production of honey and its derivatives, in reality this state, is the fact that it is usually developed by small farmers in several counties of this state, whose beekeepers who have attained a higher level of organization already produce honey with quality for export which is still held indirectly through companies from other states. Our aim was to perform a socioeconomic and environmental study, but also verify the sustainability in beekeeping in five beekeepers associations in high hinterland of Paraíba. Data collection on the agents involved in this activity, took place through the application of questionnaires and conducting semi-structured interviews, applied directly with members of Beekeepers' associations in five municipalities in the backwoods of Paraíba. The association with the highest Quality of Life Index (IQV) was Santa Helena, with 0,9858. Followed by Triunfo with 0.9333, São João do Rio do Peixe with 0.8167, 0.7778 with Catolé do Rocha and Poço José de Moura with 0.6889, respectively, showed that 100% of surveyed beekeepers have at least one of goods of groups 1, 2 and 3, the composition of the Capital Index (ICS), the highest value was found in Catolé do Rocha: 0.8999, followed by São João do Rio do Peixe with 0.8570 reached high level of development indicator in capital. For Environmental Index we can see that the association of São João do Rio do Peixe, had the highest environmental indicator index, 0.9143, followed by Catolé do Rocha with 0.8857. For the five associations found the average values for the Sustainability Index (SI) of 0,8110.