Pour qui, pourquoi une ressource est-elle jugée dé gradée ? Pĝturages et agriculture familiale au Brésil

Abstract

The concepts of "natural resource" and "degradation" are social constructs. This point is emphasized by analyzing the discourses of Brazilian NGOs and agricultural research institutes working in the region of Cerrados in Central Brazil: their diagnoses on the colonization process of the region (from the 60's on) range from an "area of impoverishment" for the NGOs, to a "New Eldorado" for agricultural research institutes. These divergences highlight ideological and interest conflicts about what should be the "good uses" and "good users" of this region. They are also evident when analyzing the question of pasture degradation in small-scale farms in the Silvĝnia commune in the State of Goiás. The recent increase of dairy production in the small-scale farms of this commune has been sustained partly by an intensified use of pastures (e.g. strip grazing) as part of a wider technological package. The concept of pasture degradation was introduced with this innovation; it is mainly assessed in terms of the technical production potential and mainly concerns the soil. This concept has replaced the concept of "weakening", which concerns mainly the plant cover and is assessed by comparing it with the native vegetation. It has been shown that the adoption of the degradation concept by farmers results from a change in the function of their pasture, rather than from a change in its state. It also becomes integrated into different representations of the animal farming system, which have shifted from a set of interactions to a representation in term of resource stocks. This analysis invites us to view the concept of sustainable development in terms of functional integrity of resources rather than in terms of managing resource stocks. © NSS-Dialogues, EDP Sciences 2012.