Payments for environmental services (PES) and agro-ecology: une critique approach a modern agriculture

Abstract

Brazil’s rural economy has been intrinsically dependent of imported supplies, from the chemical and biotech industries. In the context of corporate farming and monoculture, this research analyzes, critically, how the Brazilian government subsidizes rural practices intensely related to the use of chemical substances, under the modernization pretext. After the perverse effects of the chemicals have been underlined, this article discusses the policies adopted by government in these matters, and if these policies are, indeed, protecting the environment, in light of the precaution principle, as inscribed in the Brazilian Constitution. In another light, the role of Payment for Environmental Services (PES) is also studied, mainly as a mechanism of development of agro-ecological practices in farming. The article maintains that a systemic approach to PES is necessary for attaining environmental rationality. The methodology used in this study is the bibliographic review of Law, sociology and ecology literature, and review of public documents.