MACAÚBA INTEGRATED SYSTEM AND THE BIOECONOMY

There is a worldwide need for clean and sustainable energy. In Brazil, the energy transition from biofuels aims to reduce dependence on the fossil and polluting model and migrate to more sustainable systems aligned with the SDGs for a green economy (low CO2 emissions, efficient use of resources, social inclusion, technology and innovation, environment, reuse and conservation). In this sense, Brazilian agriculture has been advancing towards a more sustainable production, seeking alternatives for the production of biofuels, in this case, Macaúba oil as an option. The hypothesis is that isolated monocultures without integration will give way to integrated, efficient systems aligned with the environment and diversity. The ongoing climate change will lead to a rethinking of the current agricultural systems, and this will consequently pave the way for alternatives for land use with integrated systems, such as the cultivation of Macaúba, which may at first be together with grains, such as soybeans, and later with the introduction of livestock. At the Tietê Research Unit, a project is underway that integrates the cultivation of Macaúba with soybeans. There are two areas: a) 8 ha of soybeans with 2 ha of Macaúba on the edges and unusable cutouts for planting and harvesting soybeans; b) 20 ha of soybeans planted with Macaúba at the top of the contour lines, with a total of 700 plants (300+400). The article aimed to direct and ascertain the feasibility of generating income and returns (economic, environmental and social) at favorable costs, using soybean as a lever for the full development and production of macaúba. The initial operational cost of implementing Macaúba (integration with soybeans) was: R$32.00 per plant. The focus is on the producer's income. It is true that we still have many parameters to be evaluated in the 5-year period of the project.