RICE CULTIVATION IN AN EBBTIDE SYSTEM IN THE MARANHÃO LOWLANDS, SOUTHEASTERN PERIPHERY OF AMAZONIA

• Autor(a) principal: Farias Filho, Marcelino Silva
• Data de Publicação: 2009
• Outros Autores: Ferraz Júnior, Altamiro Souza de Lima
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Pesquisa Agropecuária Tropical (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://revistas.ufg.br/pat/article/view/4597
• topic: Rice; Maranhão lowlands; smallholder agriculture; ebbtide production; Arroz; Maranhão; agricultura familiar; agricultura de vazante

Agricultural production in the Maranhão State, southeastern periphery of Amazonia, Brazil, is predominantly smallholder-based and uses slash-and-burn technology. Nevertheless, other environmentally less aggressive land use systems are also relevant for food production, especially the so-called ebbtide system, in the Maranhão lowlands. This paper describes and evaluates ebbtide production, within the landless settlement project “Diamante Negro/Jutaí”, located in Monção and Igarapé do Meio, municipalities of the Maranhão lowlands. Our farmer-based assessment consisted of interviews with 14 farmers and in loco observations. Furthermore, an agroecological assessment was conducted, based on participative field experimentation, with 15 local farmers. The main factors causing rice productivity losses are related to hydric stress situations and rodents (Arvicola sapidus). The productivity and milling yield of improved rice varieties did not differ statistically.   KEY-WORDS: Rice; Maranhão lowlands; smallholder agriculture; ebbtide production.