A Educação Ambiental entre assentados do distrito de Miraporanga, Uberlândia/MG: percepções quanto à exploração e conservação dos recursos hídricos

Abstract

The lack of assistance and monitoring by public agents to rural settlements, especially regarding environmental organization, has contributed to the growth of ways of using space that do not always constitute models of conservation and sustainable use of resources. This research was carried out at the Celso Lúcio Moreira da Silva Settlement, at “A Carinhosa” farm, Miraporanga District - Uberlandia-MG, and aimed to understand the participants' perceptions and actions regarding the exploitation of the settlement's water resources, stimulating the use sustainable water. This was a qualitative research, based on the literature review, participant observation and interview with the owners. Initially we sought to characterize the study scenario. The settlement is located 26 km from the center of Uberlandia city and has a total area of approximately 1168 hectares, distributed among 60 families. Organized in cooperative (Coopesafra), they are mainly engaged in agroecological family farming and livestock. The region is rich in water resources exploited through cisterns / wells, or even directly from springs and watercourses. Sanitation is carried out through septic pits, but the terrain of the region is slightly rugged, which can cause water contamination. With the proposal, was possible to know the ways water exploration and the conceptions of the community on the topic, and an extension action was elaborated in order to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of the settled families.