Socioeconomic and Environmental Aspects of the Production of Silk Cocoons in the Brazilian Sericulture

Sericulture is extremely important in the socioeconomic context in Brazil. The country is the fifth largest silk producer in the world, and the silk produced in Brazil is internationally recognized for its quality. Nonetheless, sericultural activities have direct impacts on the silkworm rearers (sericulturists) and are also responsible for environmental impacts, caused by the exchanges of energy and material between the natural environment and the technical/technological environment. Based on that, this exploratory and qualitative study aimed to identify the aspects that affect the (i) socioeconomic and (ii) environmental conditions of silk cocoon production in Brazilian sericulture. Two surveys were designed to collect information on the socioeconomic and environmental aspects of sericulture. The data sets collected through surveys were treated using the NVivo software tool. The results present the socioeconomic and environmental aspects of the production of silk cocoons, and what measures could improve these conditions in order to provide a better quality of life for sericulturists and to improve the relationship of sericulture with the environment in order to guarantee continuity of the activity. In general, the results show that sericulture proved to be ahead of many other cultures with regard to socioeconomic aspects, as it is an alternative to the diversification of small rural properties, generating monthly income for families in rural areas. In addition, there is evidence of efforts to make sericultural activities less impacting on the environment.