Caracterização multidimensional da aquicultura em cooperativas da mesorregião nordeste do Pará, Brasil: seus potenciais e problemáticas

Abstract

Aquaculture has become established as a strategic activity for food security, income generation, and sustainable development, especially in regions with high availability of water resources, such as the Amazon. In this context, rural cooperativism emerges as an important instrument of productive organization, capable of strengthening small producers through access to markets, inputs, technical assistance, and collective management. This study aimed to multidimensionally characterize aquaculture systems integrated into cooperatives located in the Northeast Mesoregion of the state of Pará, Brazil, analyzing technical, productive, environmental, socioeconomic, and organizational aspects, as well as the impacts of cooperative management on productivity and sustainability. The research was conducted through fieldwork, using semi-structured questionnaires applied to 16 cooperative producers, complemented by descriptive and interpretative data analyses. The results indicated the predominance of small-scale systems, with the use of ponds (56.3%) and suspended tanks (50.0%), dependence on springs (60.0%), and partial adoption of water quality management and monitoring practices, with aeration being the main strategy employed (50.0%). It was observed that 85.7% of the producers perceived an increase in productivity after joining the cooperative model, although only 18.8% have formal production planning and gaps persist in environmental and sanitary regularization, such as the low occurrence of water use permits (18.8%). The SWOT analysis highlighted water availability and productive experience as the main strengths, while weaknesses and challenges were concentrated in infrastructure, access to inputs, labor, and financing. It is concluded that strengthening cooperative management, combined with the expansion of technical assistance and the standardization of productive and administrative practices, is essential for the consolidation of more efficient, sustainable, and resilient aquaculture systems in the Amazonian context of Pará.