Economic Viability of Coffee Cultivated in an Agroforestry System in Southwest Goiás

Abstract

Brazil ranks first in the world as a coffee producer. The increase in productivity has been observed in recent harvests due to new management and automation technologies. Even with the expectation of a reduction in national production, the state of Goiás has shown a growing participation in coffee production. The municipality of Rio Verde, in Goiás, is among the eight largest coffee producers in the state and is where the Fazenda da Mata enterprise is located, the main object of this research. The objective of the research is to evaluate the performance of the production of arabica coffee cultivated in an agroforestry system through studies on economic feasibility comparing the implementation costs plus the estimated costs and revenues of the SAF with the conventional cultivation system.  Coffee growing in SAF is a production system that demands research that presents results on economic analysis, so it was sought to research the economic viability of coffee cultivation in SAF as a sustainable alternative for agribusiness, whose information can contribute to the decision making of the rural manager when comparing a conventional cultivation enterprise to the cultivation in SAF. In addition, the AFS can contribute to the increase of agricultural productivity with less impacts on the environment, emerging several possibilities of subsystems with applicability in large, medium and small rural properties, considering the financial advantages and also the motivating values that direct the farmer to this agricultural activity. The economic analysis showed that the conventional cropping system is more financially advantageous, however the SAF also showed excellent results. Thus, it is important to highlight other relevant factors that can be considered when deciding which cultivation system to use in coffee production. Although the SAF has presented financial results lower than those of the conventional system, it is a cultivation system that can provide a second source of income for the producer, such as the use of tree species.