Estimativa da remoção do carbono em áreas de café do Cerrado mineiro e sua contribuição para a sustentabilidade

Abstract

Coffee is a daily commodity for thousands of people worldwide, being an integral part of various cultures and social classes. In 2024, coffee production in the state of Minas Gerais, the largest national producer, reached 28.1 million bags. Carbon, a chemical element abundant in nature, plays an essential role in coffee production, which faces challenges due to climate change, affecting its productivity and economy. In the Cerrado Mineiro region, coffee production stands out for adopting sustainable practices that preserve and remove carbon from the atmosphere, justifying the selection of Fazenda Santa Bárbara as the object of study. The farm is in Monte Carmelo, MG, Brazil. The main objective of the thesis is to estimate the removal of carbon from the atmosphere in coffee areas (Coffea arabica) in the Cerrado Mineiro and its contribution to sustainability. The first chapter presents a literature review in case report format, with a qualitative and exploratory approach, reporting the farm's history since 1970. The certifications achieved, awards, and projects aimed at sustainability at Fazenda Santa Bárbara are highlighted. The Cerrado Mineiro region is predominantly cultivated with the arabica species in a monoculture system due to the region's high altitude, ranging from 750 to 1000 meters. The Mundo Novo variety is the focus of the study. The second chapter is experimental, developing a novel allometric equation to estimate carbon stocks in coffee plantations. For this, 12 coffee trees were felled (6 at 4 years old and 6 at 6 years old), followed by the individual breakdown of parts (roots, stems, leaves) to obtain carbon and water content values. Statistical analysis was performed using R 4.2.2 software with the Jackknife model. Three models presented reliable results, with an R² greater than 0.85, highlighting the doubleentry equation with CAC 10 and HT as independent variables (most suitable). The results showed that dry mass corresponds to 46% of the total fresh mass, with an average water content of 54%, and the average carbon content is 43% of the dry mass. It was observed that CO2 removals from the atmosphere by coffee trees at Fazenda Santa Bárbara were sufficient to neutralize the emissions of 255 to 394 Brazilians, considering the 2020 statistics on Brazil's population and per capita CO2 eq. emissions. An average planting age of 5 years results in an annual increment of 402,985 to 623,887 kg of CO2 eq., neutralizing the emissions of 51 to 79 Brazilians annually. By presenting these CO2 emissions and removal statistics, it is possible to quantify the answer to the reflection: “How much and where would this CO2 and energy consumed by coffee planting go?” Although the current data provides a solid foundation for understanding the relationship between coffee cultivation and the mitigation of CO2 emissions, further studies are needed for a deeper understanding of coffee behavior in the face of climate change.