payments for ecosystem services - Instituto de Estudos Agrários e
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payments for ecosystem services - Instituto de Estudos Agrários e
SOUSA, L.V.C; CAMPOS, E. M.G; PEREIRA JUNIOR,S. B.;ISAAC, L. & FERNANDES, E. A. Payments for ecosystem services (PES) to promote sustainable agricultural: a case study for the municiplality of Coronel Xavier Chaves – MG. 50 PAYMENTS FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES (PES) TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL: A CASE STUDY FOR THE MUNICIPALITY OF CORONEL XAVIER CHAVES – MG Lucas Vitor de Carvalho Sousa1 Eneida Maria Goddi Campos2 Sergio Batista Pereira Júnior3 Luciano Isaac4 Elaine Aparecida Fernandes5 Abstract: This paper is aimed to identify the components of a Payment for Ecosystem’s Services (PES) scheme in Coronel Xavier Chaves - MG, as an environmental policy mechanism to promote rural sustainability through finance agrosilvopasture systems. Through field research, surveys, interviews with experts and questionnaires, we have identified ecosystem’s goods and services provided by clipping geographic issues, its users, providers and institutions. The results show that a PES scheme for the sector, based on agrosilvopasture systems will be successful bearing in mind the strong agriculture vocation in this city and components of a PES scheme observed. Consequently, this fact will contribute to the restoration and preservation of nature and remunerating providers of ecosystem’s goods and services in a region with remnants of Atlantic Forest. Key words: Agrosilvopasture system; sustainability; ecosystem’s goods and services. Resumo: Este artigo objetivou identificar os componentes de um esquema de Pagamentos por Serviços Ecossistêmicos (PSE) no município de Coronel Xavier Chaves - MG, como um mecanismo de política ambiental para promover a sustentabilidade rural via financiamento de sistemas agrossilvipastoris. Através de pesquisas a campo, entrevistas a especialistas e aplicação de questionários, foram identificados bens e serviços ecossistêmicos prestados pelo recorte geográfico em questão, seus usuários, fornecedores e instituições. Os resultados mostraram que, diante da forte vocação agropecuária desse município e, diante dos componentes de PSE observados, um esquema de PSE para o setor, baseado em sistemas agrossilvipastoris será bem sucedido. Contribuindo assim, para a recuperação e preservação da natureza e remunerando os provedores de bens e serviços ecossistêmicos em uma região com remanescentes de Mata Atlântica. Palavras-chave: Sistema agrossilvipastoril; sustentabilidade; bens e serviços ecossistêmicos. JEL Codes: Q 01 Agriculture; Q 56 - Environment and Development, Environment and Trade, Sustainability, Environmental Accounts and Accounting, Environmental Equity, Population Growth; Q 57 Ecological Economics: Ecosystem Services, Biodiversity Conservation, Bioeconomics, Industrial Ecology. 1 Mestrando em Economia pela Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV). Av. P. H. Rolfs, s/n, Campus Universitário, Departamento de Economia (DEE), Viçosa - MG, CEP 36570-000. Tel.: 32 9122 9081 email: [email protected] 2 Professora Doutora do Departamento de Ciências Econômicas da Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei (DCECO/UFSJ). Pç. Frei Orlando, 170, sl. 4.17, São João del Rei - MG, CEP 36307-352. Tel.: 32 3379 2547 email: [email protected] 3 Graduando em Ciências Econômicas pela Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei (UFSJ). Pç. Frei Orlando, 170, sl. 4.15, São João del Rei, MG, CEP 36307-352. Tel.: 32 9130 4064 email: [email protected] 4 Mestrando em Economia pela Universidade de Buenos Aires e professor do Departamento de Administração e Ciências Contábeis da Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei (DECAC/UFSJ). Avenida Visconde do Rio Preto, s/n (Km 02) Campus Tancredo Neves (CTAN/UFSJ), São João del Rei, MG,CEP 36300-000. Tel.: 32 3371 7731 email: [email protected] 5 Professora Doutora do Departamento de Economia da Universidade Federal de Viçosa (DEE/UFV). Av. P. H. Rolfs, s/n, Campus Universitário, Departamento de Economia (DEE), Viçosa - MG, CEP 36570-000. Tel: 31 3899 2455. email: [email protected] SOCIEDADE E DESENVOLVIMENTO RURAL on line – v.7, n. 4– Nov – 2013. www. inagrodf.com.br/revista ISSN 1981-1551 SOUSA, L.V.C; CAMPOS, E. M.G; PEREIRA JUNIOR,S. B.;ISAAC, L. & FERNANDES, E. A. Payments for ecosystem services (PES) to promote sustainable agricultural: a case study for the municiplality of Coronel Xavier Chaves – MG. 51 1 INTRODUCTION This article aims at identifying through a study case both strengths and limitations provided by the city of Coronel Xavier Chaves, Minas Gerais, so that a Payment for Ecosystem Services Scheme (PES) envisaging a sustainable agropecuary is implemented. It is interesting to notice that the pressure caused by human activity in the environment has affected both welfare and ecosystem’s services provided by nature. (COSTANZA et al., 1997; MEA, 2005). This scenario is worsened by the inefficient management of natural capital as well as the lack of incentive and economic compensation to environmental preservation (PAGIOLA and PLATAIS, 2007). Consequently, the increasingly demand on food supply and fuel requires a more intensive agricultural and pecuary activity, a fact which makes it a humanity challenge in terms of innovative solutions research. Especially, if one considers the fact that technology is able to replace the welfare and services provide by nature. Hence, an alternative solution to such a problem has been discussed, not only by the United Nations for Food and Agriculture (FAO, 2011) but also by governments, international organizations and the private sector; so, the PSE scheme seems to be a potential solution. The PES scheme is a financial compensation to the local, regional and global welfare and ecosystem’s services users to the providers of such services (GÓMEZBAGGETHUN et al., 2009). Thus, the PES is a way of adding monetary value to the services generated by nature, like food and water supply, pollination, carbon sequestration amongst others. This makes the ecosystem’s services offer part of the agents’ strategic decision, as the users will have a direct incentive to make their practice more sustainable (PAGIOLA et al., 2002). The best-known and successful PES case to date is the one in Costa Rica, which started in 1996, with the amendment of the Forestry Plan Management Law. Such a program motivates the agricola producers to preserve and restore their forest remnants via financial compensations (MORSE et al., 2009; e Daniels et al., 2010). In Brazil, we can highlight the PES program called Conservador das Águas and was implemented and developed by the City Council of Extrema-MG and the project Produtor de Água financed by the NGO The Nature Conservancy (TNC), which pay the rural producers to restore the forests and preserve the soil (GUEDES and SEEHUSEN, 2011). Differently from the PES previously mentioned, the idea proposed in this work is not only a mere transfer of financial resources to those who provide ecosystem’s goods and services. It actually enables the rural producers to use new Technologies, say: the agrosilvopasture system, which is capable of generating income, maintaining and increasing ecosystem’s goods and services as well as attracting work force to the rural areas. Hence, this work has as a main goal to identify, through a case study, the potential and limitations in Coronel Xavier Chaves to build a PES scheme proposal. We specifically aim at defining the applicants and providers as well as estimating Acceptance Disposition (AD) and Payment Disposition (PD) values of the ecosystem’s goods and services. Lastly, we have tried to describe the PES proposal to the city SOCIEDADE E DESENVOLVIMENTO RURAL on line – v.7, n. 4– Nov – 2013. www. inagrodf.com.br/revista ISSN 1981-1551 SOUSA, L.V.C; CAMPOS, E. M.G; PEREIRA JUNIOR,S. B.;ISAAC, L. & FERNANDES, E. A. Payments for ecosystem services (PES) to promote sustainable agricultural: a case study for the municiplality of Coronel Xavier Chaves – MG. 52 mentioned above. Through hypothesis, the ongoing projects of a sustainable use of the natural resources allow room for a PSE scheme installation6. 2 MATERIAL AND METHODS We have defined the city of Coronel Xavier Chaves (MG) as a geographical cutout and the data was collect through field research, documental research and bibliographical revision. The identification/hierarchy of the Ecosystem’s Goods and Services (EGSs) provided by the city, eligible to be included in a PSE scheme, was done through Costanza’s classification (COSTANZA et al. 1997) and MEA (2005). To assist the EGSs choice, secondary data from the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística IBGE as well as Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada – IPEADATA was used. Such data included information about the soil, main agropecuary activities and the number of rural establishments. We have also collected primary data through interviews with the local specialists like the City Environment and Agricultural Secretary as well and such the technicians of the Regional Office of the Empresa de Assistência Técnica e Extensão Rural do Estado de Minas Gerais (EMATER-MG). The surveys, carried out in October 2011 and supervised by the EMATER-MG technicians, bore in mind the land owners, considered the EGSs providers, as well as the existing enterprises and economic activities that use environmental resources. The latter ones were provided and shortlisted by Regional Farming Administration (RFA), and data provided by the City Council7. According to the Agropecuary Census (IBGE, 2006), there are 181 agropecuary establishments in Coronel Xavier Chaves, 84% of which are concentrated within a 5 – 10 hectares area. Therefore, the population of rural producers was drawn in relation to its distribution. Afterwards, a sample of the population was selected and the calculation was based on Silva et al. (1997)8. The estimate value to be paid to the EGSs providers was based on the environmental resources economic valuation, the production function, whose economic and environmental indexes were priced by the substitute goods and services and/or the complementary services available in the market. 3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A PES Scheme Proposal to the city of Coronel Xavier Chaves 3.1 The PES Scheme Components and Format 6 As the recent program ‘Células Rurais Sustentáveis’ that financially awarded rural producers who promoted environmental preservation actions and sustainable agriculture on their lands, supported by public and private as well as regional and state institutions. 7 For further details, refer to final scientific report sent to FAPEMIG, entitled ‘Sistema de Pagamentos por Serviços Ecossistêmicos (PSE) como um instrumento de política ambiental: identificação dos agentes e proposta de implantação em municípios da microrregião São João del-Rei (MG).’ 8 The significance level was defined by 10% and the average error margin by 10 hectares, since taking the average taken +/- 10 hectares (the maximum error margin accepted in population average estimates) one can find most of the rural properties located in this geographical stripe. SOCIEDADE E DESENVOLVIMENTO RURAL on line – v.7, n. 4– Nov – 2013. www. inagrodf.com.br/revista ISSN 1981-1551 SOUSA, L.V.C; CAMPOS, E. M.G; PEREIRA JUNIOR,S. B.;ISAAC, L. & FERNANDES, E. A. Payments for ecosystem services (PES) to promote sustainable agricultural: a case study for the municiplality of Coronel Xavier Chaves – MG. 53 Coronel Xavier Chaves is eminently motivated by agricola activities as, according to IBGE (2006) and IPEADATA (2011) data, approximately 46% of the Economically Active Population (EAP) are found in rural areas. In addition, the agropecuary sector alone is responsible 40% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the city. Besides, it is interesting to point out that the number of cattle is larger than the number of people living in the city, in which 3.451 heads of cattle against 3.301 inhabitants. These figures go on to show the existing agropecuary vocation in Coronel Xavier Chaves. As far as agriculture is concerned, the farming products which are cultivated in the area are coffee beans, sugar-cane, beans and corn. Having noticed that Coronel Xavier Chaves is intrinsically motivated by socioeconomic activities related to mainly agropecuary, the program aims at strengthening such agropecuary and sustainable environmental characteristics. This can be achieved through an agrosilvopasture system, maintaining and recovering the participation of the economically active rural population in the city. In this sense, the agrosilvopasture system acts like a tool to ensure sustainability in the agricola realm, capable of curbing the environmental pressure and increasing the rural producer’s income once it diversifies agricultural activities like reforestation, agricola cultivations, pastures and cattle farming. In other words, by using this model of economic rural activity, one may preserve green areas, integrating agricultural cultivation (corn, beans and sugar-cane amongst others) and pecuary within the same environment. However, in order to succeed in implementing such a system, it is of paramount importance that the rural producer shows interest in new technologies as well as the specialized assistance provided. According to Oliveira Neto and Paiva (2010), the renewal or recovery of pasture, seen as part of the procedure concerning the agrosilvopasture system implementation might have the costs amortized through the income provided by agricola culture, a fact which is usually generated in the first year depending on the producer’s interest. What is more, the woodland component becomes an alternative source of income activity to the rural producer, which, in turn, will escape from the risk of seasonality spread once the production will be diversified. The adoption of an agrosilvopasture system brings about costs to the rural producer, yet Cordeiro and Silva (2010) points out that it is economically viable once there is technical assistance with both implementation and operation. On the other hand, there is the financial benefit, mainly environmental ones, which enables the rural producer to diversify their income and offer ecosystem’s goods and services. Take the eucalyptus as an example which features a permanent cultivation system due to its forestry component. The major agrosilvopasture system benefits, besides its production diversity, are the erosion control and higher soil fertility. Plus, the shade provided by the woodland component might bring a higher cattle productivity. Garcia et al. (2010) mentions that the shading system reduces incident, decreasing the room temperature as well as the evapotranspiration index, increasing both air and soil humidity. Furthermore, the grass which grow in the shade tend to be juicier (CASTRO et al., 1999), a fact which contributes to the animals welfare. Hence, it is evident that the agrosilvopasture system is efficient and sustainable, and this will result in better productivity, a rural producer’s income which is varied and a EGSs production. However, it is important that the rural producer is committed to this system, willing to take loans whenever they have a low budget and receive specialized SOCIEDADE E DESENVOLVIMENTO RURAL on line – v.7, n. 4– Nov – 2013. www. inagrodf.com.br/revista ISSN 1981-1551 SOUSA, L.V.C; CAMPOS, E. M.G; PEREIRA JUNIOR,S. B.;ISAAC, L. & FERNANDES, E. A. Payments for ecosystem services (PES) to promote sustainable agricultural: a case study for the municiplality of Coronel Xavier Chaves – MG. 54 technical support. It is worth pointing out that most rural producers are provided with this support by EMATER-MG and that such support is usually free of charge. 3.2 Provided and Demanded Ecosystem’s Goods and Services (EGSs) The provided and demanded EGSs in Coronel Xavier Chaves, based on Costanza’s classification (COSTANZA et al., 1997), were the following: Water regulation; Water supply; Erosion control and sediment retention; Soil formation; Nutrients recycling; Biodiversity (Atlantic Forest); Residue Treatment (Selection and Compositing); Carbon sequestration; Pollination; Food production; Raw material and Entertainment (São José Mountain). In order to identify the EGSs users and providers, a questionnaire was used with 11 rural producers. The data allowed us to visualize important characteristics of the producers’ profiles relating the variables to their categories and/or dependence. In Coronel Xavier Chaves, the average area of interviewed land owners is 26,64 hectares, whose ownership is approximately 28 years. The main declared activities are corn plantation, dairy agro-industry for both sub-existence and commercial ends, with 90,91% of the interviewed producers using the same conservationist technique, such as direct planting, contour lining, etc. When asked about the changes in the quality of the agropecuary production in their properties, only one producer revealed that the quality has remained the same whereas the other producers confirmed that the quality of the produce has improved due to the use of new technologies and sustainable techniques. Only 18,18% of the interviewed producers reported a fall in the production. As far as the EGSs are concerned, all producers have reported that their properties have water bodies as well as woods or forests (Figure 1). About 45,45% of the interviewed people (11 land owners / producers altogether) confirmed the offer of all ecosystem’s goods and services listed in the questionnaire (water, woods/forest, pollination, erosion control and sediment retention). When asked about the degraded areas in their properties, 27,27% reported the existence of such areas which negatively affected the production. SOCIEDADE E DESENVOLVIMENTO RURAL on line – v.7, n. 4– Nov – 2013. www. inagrodf.com.br/revista ISSN 1981-1551 SOUSA, L.V.C; CAMPOS, E. M.G; PEREIRA JUNIOR,S. B.;ISAAC, L. & FERNANDES, E. A. Payments for ecosystem services (PES) to promote sustainable agricultural: a case study for the municiplality of Coronel Xavier Chaves – MG. 55 Figure 1: EGSs provided in rural areas based on producers’ information, percentage Source: Research data base. As for the Acceptance Disposition (AD) of payment to maintain a EGSs offer found in their lands, or even a compensation for any damage caused by third parties, all producers were willing to take loans, yet did not precisely inform how much they would take per hectare or year. This fact is closely linked with a disbelief in public institutions in effectively providing this investment and, to make matters worse, fear of embezzlement. When it comes to the producers’ expectations of the institutions which should be responsible for paying them to preserve and/or recover the natural resources in their properties, the vast majority reported that the government (at all levels) as the main responsible, a few mentioned the polluting companies as they are likely to do damage to the environment and, eventually, should account for any sort of compensation. The main EGSs users, as noticed, are the companies and industries located in Coronel Xavier Chaves. In order to indentify the EGSs providers, three companies were selected from the Farming Administration and later on interviewed. We shall name such providers as: Company A – a sugar-cane-based distillery company; Company B – a poultry farming factory which also produces poultry feed; Company C – an ashlars masonry and stone sculpture company. When asked about the EGSs, which were ranked as of good quality, the following items were listed: water, eucalyptus burning wood, stones, sugar-cane, corn and soya. The companies have also reported that the residues originated from the production process (vinhoto, sugar-cane bagasse, corn flour, soya flour, meat and feather meal, animal waste, stone chips, boiler serum and smoke) are recycled, yet Company C admitted to affecting negatively the environment by the inversion of soil. By the same token, all three Companies are aware of the importance of preserving natural resources as these are essential to life. However, neither company seemed supportive when enquired about the Payment Disposition (PD) to permanently guarantee the EGSs required for their productive process. They argue that the government should be responsible for it since they have to pay too many taxes. They mention that, together with the EGSs providers, the Public Power should also take an active role when it comes to preserving and restoring the SOCIEDADE E DESENVOLVIMENTO RURAL on line – v.7, n. 4– Nov – 2013. www. inagrodf.com.br/revista ISSN 1981-1551 SOUSA, L.V.C; CAMPOS, E. M.G; PEREIRA JUNIOR,S. B.;ISAAC, L. & FERNANDES, E. A. Payments for ecosystem services (PES) to promote sustainable agricultural: a case study for the municiplality of Coronel Xavier Chaves – MG. 56 natural resources. Consequently, bearing the PD in mind, it is a foregone conclusion that the three companies will not follow the proposal in this study. 3.3 Potential Funding Sources to a PSE scheme in the city The potential funding sources to a PES scheme are vitally important. They must be stable and long-lasting in terms of providing regular funding to the producers. On having analyzed both primary and secondary data in this research, it is suggested that the EGSs, the ICMS-Ecológico (ICMS-E)9 and the Bolsa Verde10 should be the main funding sources. This should be done so on the grounds that, firstly, the city receives the ICMS-E and, consequently, it would be a source of compensation to those who provide and preserve the EGSs. Secondly, the providers of such resources (conversion of native woods and forests in legal reserves or in conservation units) will allocate continuously and permanently the ICMS-E and the Bolsa Verde through the State Government. There is also a great likelihood of increasing the funding as the city Environment Secretary declared that “an Effluent Treatment Station (ETS) will soon be built, increasing the ICMS-E allocation’’ Thirdly, the ICMS-E and the Bolsa Verde themselves will contribute to the city as they can be invested in environmental programs. Last, but not least, these do not imply opportunity cost, as they are financial resources generated by the environment and, consequently, for the environment. Bolsa Verde is suggested as a funding instrument to preserve woods and forests in the city as it is a way of compensating for the producers that respect the legal reserve. It is also a way to replicate the observation of the environmental laws by the producers since this program targets the recovery of native forestlands as well. 3.4 The Economic Value of the payment to the selected EGSs providers The economic value to be paid by the PES program to the rural producers that follow the agrosilvopasture system was hereby defined by EMATER-MG technical information referring to 2011. This value ranged from R$ 1.700,00 to R$ 2.228,00 per hectare for the implementation process, and R$ 510,00 per hectare/year, on average, to maintain the system. This comprises the cost of soil preparation, the system maintenance (the eucalyptus weeding and pruning as well as the pasture fertilization), the variation of culture or agricultural activities in the area chosen for the agrosilvopasture system implementation. Such figures were obtained through methods which are based on the market of substitute goods and marginal productivity, estimated by the production function of the agrosilvopasture system, and were made available by EMATER-MG. This is due to the fact that the rural producers were unable to apply the contingent evaluation technique 9 The ICMS-E (Tax on Circulation of Goods and Services - environmental factor) stems from two subcriteria: a) the Conservation Index, which refers to the Conservation Units and other protected areas such as natural reserves; b) the sub-criteria of the Environmental Sanitation Index (ISA), linked to landfills, sewage treatment plants and waste selection and composting plants. 10 The Program ‘Bolsa Verde’, still under implementation, stems from the preservation and/or restoration of native vegetation cover in rural properties. SOCIEDADE E DESENVOLVIMENTO RURAL on line – v.7, n. 4– Nov – 2013. www. inagrodf.com.br/revista ISSN 1981-1551 SOUSA, L.V.C; CAMPOS, E. M.G; PEREIRA JUNIOR,S. B.;ISAAC, L. & FERNANDES, E. A. Payments for ecosystem services (PES) to promote sustainable agricultural: a case study for the municiplality of Coronel Xavier Chaves – MG. 57 (AD and PD) and, consequently, did not know or chose not to establish the funding they were willing to receive. However, they showed interest in making their exploration of natural resources more efficient, productive and sustainable. Taking into account the present pricing and the ICMS-E collected in the city (R$ 27.434,66, in 2010), it would be possible to use such a resource alone to implant the program for approximately 14 hectares11. Evidently, this ICMS-E allocated in Coronel Xavier Chaves is still incipient, yet it is likely that such figure will increase due to an ETE installation as well as the regularizations of the Residues Selection and Composting Plant in the city. On the other hand, in case the environmental legislation is met, the conversion of 20% of the average area of the rural establishment in legal reserve12, there will be another permanent funding source to the PES scheme proposed here. The Bolsa Verde program plays an important role as rural land owners are provided with R$ 200,00/hectare/year for preserved native woodland. Having met the environmental legislation, it was estimated the conversion of 20% out of 6.988,5 hectares correspondent to the total area of the rural establishments in the city (IBGE, 2006). The area value found was 1.397,7 hectares of potential legal reserve, which is exactly the sort of soil required for the Bolsa Verde allocation, as long as it is legally certified and accredited by the Public Power. When multiplying this area (1.397,7) by R$ 200,00, one gets the allocated value provided by the Programa Bolsa Verde (R$ 279.540,00). Then, it proves to be possible to expand (implant) the program in the short run using the resources provided by the Bolsa Verde, on the grounds that the rural producers use such funding to implant the agrossilvipastoris system within approximately 142 hectares in Coronel Xavier Chaves. The Bolsa Verde program, the ICMS-E allocations as well as the legal reserve conservation alone, would bring to about 156 hectares only in the first year of system implantation. In case it is decided upon continuing with the PES program in agrosilvopasture systems, from the second year on, with an annual maintenance cost of R$ 510,00/hectare, R$ 306.974,66 (resources provided by both the Bolsa Verde and ICMSE, supposing the values are the same) the sum of R$ 79.560,00 would be spent (R$ 510,00 x 156 hectares). That said, R$ 227.414,66 would allow room for converting 115,79 hectares more into agrosilvopasture systems, and keep expanding to an area of approximately 602 hectares, if one considers the values in 2011 and the only resources mentioned above to materialize the PES scheme proposed here. Finally, it is suggested that EMATER-MG should be the managing and supervising institution as it would be responsible for the technical support required, let alone the credibility and trusting profile it has to keep the process going. The City council would also play an important role as it is one institution which envisages the welfare of the city by providing funds to be invested in environmental issues, regulating 11 It was taken into account the average cost of the agrossilvipastoril system implementation, which is R$ 1964,00. 12 The area of Legal Reserve was ruled by the ‘Código Florestal’ (Lei 4.771/65), in which deforestation is not allowed, but the controlled use that guarantees the sustainability of the natural resources and ecological processes. The area of Legal Reserve may vary according to the region and biome: 80% of Forest Areas in Legal Amazon; 35% of Cerrado Biome; 20% of general fields; and 20% of all biomes in other regions in the country. SOCIEDADE E DESENVOLVIMENTO RURAL on line – v.7, n. 4– Nov – 2013. www. inagrodf.com.br/revista ISSN 1981-1551 SOUSA, L.V.C; CAMPOS, E. M.G; PEREIRA JUNIOR,S. B.;ISAAC, L. & FERNANDES, E. A. Payments for ecosystem services (PES) to promote sustainable agricultural: a case study for the municiplality of Coronel Xavier Chaves – MG. 58 the process and making sure that PES scheme runs accordingly. We cannot forget the Rural Producers Union, as a way of organizing the participants, mediating and facilitating constant evaluation of the program, reporting any potential impairments and the kind and, above all, being responsible for supervising the financial resources allocated by the City Council. It is important to mention that there will be no opportunity cost to the society when using the ICMS-E and Bolsa Verde to finance investments in the PES scheme, as such funding should be used for environmental purposes. 4 CONCLUSION This work enabled us to identify both providers and demanders of ecosystem’s goods and services in Coronel Xavier Chaves as well as both potentialities and limitations of a PES scheme, envisaging the implantation and/or expansion of agrosilvopasture systems. The initial hypothesis was confirmed, which suggests viability, feasibility and sustainability for a PES scheme implantation in the selected city. The identified potentialities comprise the good quality of ecosystem’s goods and services provided in stock. As observed in the interviews, all properties provide at least one ecosystem’s good and service. The region and rural areas are also viable to an agrosilvopasture system implantation. Besides, an agrosilvopasture system implantation will allow room for a continuous and maybe long-lasting PES scheme presented here, a fact which is supported by the woodland component as well as economic feasibility. It is worth pointing out the high number of rural producers that make use of at least one conservationist technique facilitates an agrosilvopasture system implantation, as the system itself is a conservationist technique which requires the use of other techniques, for instance, the direct planting. The main limitation observed was the lack of interest of some companies in the city to participate in this PES scheme. This is the reason why the funding is allocated by governmental institutions. On the other hand, such fact leads to a more stable status when it comes to meeting the funding requirements, which keeps up to regular and constant payments. In order to actually consolidate the PES scheme, there must be use of Economic Instruments (ICMS-E, Bolsa Verde amongst others) and Communication Instruments. The latter ones will raise awareness of the importance of an environmental education ensuring that the agents involved in the PSE scheme treasure, preserve and recover the natural resources present in their city. By the same token, it is important to motivate the non-participants to take a more activity role and, consequently, join in the PES scheme, a fact which would expand their capacity of providing ecosystem’s goods and services. 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