Regenera Agroforestry Simulator (RAS): Collaborative Software for Productive Restoration of Small Properties in the State of Rio de Janeiro
agroecology; agroforestry; agroforestry design; productive restoration; family farming; small property; software; simulator
Agroforestry systems (ASF) display several advantages over conventional production systems, including the restoration of ecological functions in the agroecosystems, the reduction of herbivory and diseases via natural biological control and improvement of microbial activity and soil quality, and the diversified production of food, which promotes resilience, autonomy and food security in the countryside. This reveals a strong vocation of agroforestry as a solution for the productive restoration of small rural properties with an agroecological focus. However, an ASF must be very well-designed in order to achieve such results. Brazilian law allows family farmers to take advantage of ASF also for the restoration of areas with restricted land use, but, to this end, it determines several criteria for the composition of the system. Given the above, decision support tools for agroforestry implementation can reduce the complexity in planning these systems, facilitating and promoting their use in different scenarios. Today, despite some tools available on the market, none offer species suggestions based on environmental conditions and legal restrictions on the use of the area to be managed, while at the same time being financially accessible. Therefore, this study aims to develop a technical product in the form of a web application that fills this gap and is easily accessed and used by small rural producers. To this end, a database will be created with relevant information on agricultural and native species that occur in the state of Rio de Janeiro (RJ), along with an application that will allow users to contribute to this database, as well as to use that data to assist in system design, obtaining automated suggestions of locally suitable species. In this way, it is expected to facilitate the design and implementation of new SAF, especially in the context of the Regenera Mata Atlântica project, which supports the productive restoration of protected areas in family units in RJ.