Sistemas produtivos intensivos da pecuária de corte de Mato Grosso do Sul: conjunto de indicadores de avaliação da sustentabilidade.

Abstract

The brazilian beef cattle production systems have been pressured by economic, social, scientific, political and institutional entities, about the guidelines driven to sustainable food productions, as long as they are able to measure and control the mitigation of socio-environmental liabilities mechanisms. In addition, there is a global emergency to feed the entire world population, whose are projected to reach 9.5 billion, around 2050. Along this perspective, it was understood that the cattle production models are following management changes, which have been evidenced in the decision-making processes of the organizations interested to improve the good images from the meat products in domestic and international markets. Forwards, indicators have been proposed, by the literature, as a strategically guide decision-making in beef production, recognized by science, as monitoring tools to be implemented in meals productions systems. Faced to all this complexity involving challenges and opportunities in the sustainable livestock segment, the central problem of this thesis arises as: What are the most appropriate indicators to assess the sustainability of the intensive production system of beef cattle in Mato Grosso do Sul (MS)? Thus, this thesis aims to propose a set of indicators to evaluate the level of sustainability of the intensive beef cattle production system in Mato Grosso do Sul (MS). The focus of this research is the PRECOCE/MS Program, recognized as an initiative of the Mato Grosso do Sul policy makers. The PRECOCE/MS Program aims to stimulate the adoption of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in order to increase competitiveness of sustainable beef produced throughout the territory of Mato Grosso do Sul (MS). It is a research of mixed nature, that comprises qualitative and quantitative approaches together. It is characterized as descriptive and exploratory research. The result was driven to be applied to the intensive production system of beef cattle in Mato Grosso do Sul (MS), as long as the set of sustainability indicators was proposed to support the PRECOCE/MS Program. The objectives have been achieved by a bibliographic survey, combined with an integrative systematic review and implemented through the applicability of the Delphi technique among specialists linked to the academic and productive sectors. The collected data were analyzed, from the statistical-mathematical evaluation, added to the documental analysis, both with the support of software operated by artificial intelligence. Due to the methodological procedures applied, it was possible to elaborate, as a result, a set of 58 indicators, derived from 22 attributes through dialogue with the economic, social, environmental and institutional sustainable dimensions. It is understood that the delivery of this evaluation tool will bring significant changes to academia, producers, the production chain, public managers and other stakeholders in promoting sustainable livestock, as well as the rest of society, since its application will identify sustainable actions driven to beef cattles production. All these implementations will bring benefits of economic, social, environmental and institutional orders, in addition to the competitiveness of the intensive production system of brazilian beef cattle, around the domestic and international markets. For future research, it was suggested to expand the evaluation and analyzes referring to the other dimensions of sustainability found in the literature, to complete the set of indicators for evaluation sustainability around beef cattle production systems. Future sets of sustainability indicators can also be presented to others beef cattle production systems, for example, extensive and integrated cattle production system, which also need sustainable alternative monitoring instruments to enhance value creation in the beef production chain.