THE AQUICULTURE AS FEEDER TO THE POLYCULTURE IN FAMILY FARMING

BUSINESS IN THE SEMIARID REGION OF RIO GRANDE DO NORTE

Joseanna de Paiva Alves*
Jhonnacy Guilherme Equitani
Ivanilson de Souza Maia (Professor/Orientador).
Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-rido
Avenida Francisco Mota, 572, Mossor RN
joseannapaiva@hotmail.com
The semiarid disposition in northeastern Brazil restricts the water use, preventing it from
develop various economic activities. This background lead us to a rational water use. In this
context, the aquaculture, that uses water rather than consuming it, like irrigated orcharding
and pasture production, can optimize its use as well as enable polyculture. This activity has
been of a great value to family farming in wet years, while in dry years this activity can barely
keep livestock active. The productive nature of polyculture over monoculture is immediately
observed, considering the economic results from the perennial exploration, integration of
activities and diversified production. This productive methodology has been granting the
sustainability of many families in the semiarid region of Rio Grande do Norte.
The current paper is been developed at the Cara Fosca site, located in the rural zone of
Apodi/RN. Its area covers a land of 2,6 ha over which there is a productive diversity like:
organic vegetables, watermelon, banana, cassava, sweet potato, corn, cashew, guava,
carambole, mango plantations, livestock, piggery, sheep, chicken and duck farming, all of
them feeded with the Oreochromis niloticus tilapia cultivation. Therefore, there is integration
between the tilapia cultivation and the rest of the explorations, considering that part of the
water used on aquaculture is utilized for irrigation, besides that, the fruits residue are
provided to the animals feeding and with the excrement of those the compost for plantations
fertilization is made.
A small portion of the production is aimed to familiar consumption. The other part is destined
in the estate governments Food Acquisition Program (Programa de Aquisio de Alimento
PAA) and the surplus is commercialized at the family farming market in Apodi.
Therefore it should be noted that the integration between these activities and pisciculture
works as a lung for the system. Everything is developed to in order to rationally seize the
spaces, the fertilization, the water and the familys labor.
This paper has the purpose of identifying the sustainability of small properties in familiar
scale along with the use of aquaculture, in addition to analyze the economic viability of
production, in order to contribute to the improvement of the productive processes.