The strategy of the multiple use of natural resources in the Lower Amazon floodplain has suffered constant threat mainly in the last 70 years due to pressures resulting from changes in the regional market, as commercial crops, intensification of commercial fisheries and the expansion of extensive husbandry of cattle and buffalo. Faced with this problem, the thesis aims to analyze the adaptation responses of farmers to lowland environment according to access to land production factor, the influences of environment and landscape, and inclusion into the market in the floodplain of the Lower Amazon, Santarém in the period 1941 to 2002. Meet the adaptation responses of peasant communities in times of stress is extremely important to the ecosystem of the floodplains, to detect changes in the strategy of multiple use of natural resources. Data were collected in two rural communities in the sub-region Urucurituba, Lower Amazon, Santarém micro-region in western Pará State Communities of Piracãoera de Cima and Piracãoera de Baixo were selected because they have a high restinga; are relatively close to the urban center of Santarem, and produce annual crops in intensive system, as evidenced in previous research. Two groups of peasant families in accordance with the access to land, non-tenants and tenants. The sample consisted of 57 families accounted for 36% of the total population of both communities. According to this process, the sample was composed of 31 families, Non-Tenant, and Tenant 26. For further analysis was conducted stratifying families by production systems. Production systems were designated A, B and C, which showed the following characteristics: A Production System prioritizes animal husbandry, medium and large animals, among the multiple use of resources; Production System B: prioritizes agriculture, among multiple uses. In this system considers the families they create, or not, cattle, and the Production System C that gives priority to fisheries, agriculture and to a lesser extent. Based upon the participatory method, interviews the families were performed with the aid of a structured questionnaire and tested previously by Projeto Várzea/IPAM in Santarém, with adaptations proposed by Costa (1995) to reconstruct historically agriculture, fisheries, the establishment of large animals, and home garden. After analyzing the information obtained was conducted analysis of agricultural intensification, agricultural efficiency and the efficiency of production systems A, B and C in two farmer groups concluded that: The restriction to the production factor land did not condition that farmers would use the land more
intensively. Families who rent land have no more intensive farming systems. Agricultural
intensification has not negatively influenced in agricultural productivity over time, did not
influence the efficiency of production, nor in the multiple use of resources. The intensification of agriculture did not influence the multiple use of resources, however, there was a redirection,
allocation, of the labor-time, between fisheries and agriculture, the main productive activities, to
keep the family household in operation. An activity frees labor-time as a form of investment to
another productive activity. The financial resources obtained in fisheries aid in the acquisition of
capital items needed for agriculture, industrial goods and to acquire the market for the family. On the other hand, income from agriculture to finance fishing in summer and winter with the
acquisition of ice, food for fishing trips. Until the start farming, fishing remains a family with the acquisition of products to be consumed, and to acquire capital items. In summary, the peasants of the Lower Amazon floodplain follow the logic of profit, while protecting it from failure by themultiple use of resources through diversification of activities and products.
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