Environmental, socioeconomic and technological impacts of family-based viticulture in a hot climate region in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil

Abstract

Assessing the impact of agricultural technologies makes it possible to estimate the benefits that an activity/technology can generate for society. It also serves to present to society the effectiveness of its results, compared to the public resources applied to the implementation of these technologies and/or public policies. The present work estimated the environmental, socioeconomic and technological impacts of viticulture practiced in a region with a hot climate in the municipality of Guarapari, state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. As a methodological approach, the Agricultural Technological Innovation Impact Assessment System (Ambitec-Agro) was used, monitoring seven family production units for three consecutive harvests (2020, 2021 and 2022). Viticulture was an activity that showed improvement in sustainability levels, with positive impact indexes in the environmental (2.91), economic (6.29) and social (4.74) dimensions, with an average overall impact index of 4.02. The modest gains in the environmental dimension reveal that it is necessary to strengthen environmental balance practices. The economic dimension presented better performance, attributed to increased productivity and good management practices. Social gains were attributed to the empowerment of family farmers, improved income and the provision of Research and Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (TARE) services. To improve sustainability levels, it is necessary to explore new market niches, verticalize production systems (agro-industries) and increase interaction with the urban environment through rural tourism.