Environmental evaluation of rural settlements: a comparative multivaried approach

Abstract

This study had as aim to assess environmental variables of settlements benefited from the agrarian reform programs in the central region of the state of São Paulo. The survey was conducted in two types of settlements: Federal Settlement Project – PA (Araraquara, Iaras, Colômbia and Piratininga) and Sustainable Development Project – PDS (Ribeirão Preto, São Carlos and Descalvado), where 60 families were interviewed. To check the environmental characteristics of the settlements, the following metrics were compiled: Environmental Score – SA per production unit and Single Variable Analysis – AI, considering five variables representative of environmental sustainability: type of fertilizer used in the production, class of fertilizers used in production, form of waste treatment in the production unit, the existence of riparian vegetation – APP (PPA – Permanent Preservation Areas) in the production unit, and type of production management. To assess the environmental effectiveness between the different types of settlements investigated here, Student's t-test (? = 0.05) was applied, using the SA values of each land parcel. The settlements classified as PA presented an average SA of 0.34 (0.21), while the PDS showed an average SA of 0.53 (0.17). This difference between the averages was corroborated by the t-test (p = 0.002), indicating differences in the environmental effectiveness of the two settlement models: from the environmental standpoint, the PDS can be considered more homogeneous than the conventional model (PA). The single variable analysis (AI) indicated differences between the two types of settlements; however, PA and PDS presented deficiencies in the parameters related to waste treatments, preservation of riparian vegetation, and production management.

Keywords: Environmental indicators; Rural settlements; Environmental
effectiveness.