Strategies and Tools for a Sustainable Rural Rio de Janeiro

Soil and water conservation management includes practices that help to preserve the quality of soil, water, and biodiversity, to promote sustainable agriculture and to provide ecosystem services (ES). In the state of Rio de Janeiro, some agriculture conservation practices such as minimal tillage, crop rotation, agroforestry systems, rotational grazing, and fallow can contribute to value and provide ES and also increase productivity and income of the family farmers. However, it is necessary to identify the impacts of these practices on the provision of ES, and monitoring is an important means of analysis. This chapter presents a review of studies on the conservation management practices in the state of Rio de Janeiro and their impacts on ES. Moreover, it highlights aspects to be considered in monitoring of ecosystem service indicators. The main challenges of the monitoring approach include participatory efforts and multidisciplinary criteria used at appropriate scales in order to provide adequate and useful answers to society.

While land use change in Brazil is characterized by strong cropland expansion, the federal state of Rio de Janeiro, located in Southeast Brazil, shows an opposite trend: a significant amount of cropland has been abandoned. The temporal and spatial distribution of farmland abandonment in Rio de Janeiro state was analyzed at the municipal level from 1991 to 2013. Developments differ strongly between the different regions. The Norte Fluminense Region, which holds the highest share of cropping area in the state, showed the highest cropland abandonment. This decrease was mainly due to a reduction of the areas used for the cultivation of banana, maize, and sugarcane. In the Baixadas and Metropolitan regions, the reduction of areas for orange plantations played an important role, while the reduction of areas for coffee production was important for mountainous areas. Another transition seems to be the substitution of sugarcane cultivation with pineapple cultivation. Areas for coconut crop production increased mainly in the Quissamã municipality. Areas for manioc crop production remained stable throughout the analysis. The patterns identified in this paper will provide an important background for the policymakers in implementing spatially explicit plans for the agricultural sector.

Small-scale dairy farming in rural areas of Rio de Janeiro state is characterized by low levels of productivity, lack of technological innovation, and land degradation particularly due to overgrazing. A field study was conducted to identify the potentialities and constraints to adopt integrated systems pasture-tree-livestock (silvopastoral systems, SPS) to improve small-scale dairy farming in Italva municipality in the Northwest of the state. Qualitative and quantitative information on dairy production regimes as well as the willingness to adopt SPS was collected, based on semi-structured interviews. The present dairy farming system was analyzed and characterized. Additionally, an on-farm fodder bank trial plot, adapted to the local socio-environmental conditions, was implemented. The barriers for adoption and socio-environmental benefits for small dairy farmers were identified and analyzed. Lessons learned from this research such as the reluctance to adopt these systems due to the long-term investment return and the high costs for initial implementation show the need of expanding the dissemination of knowledge and implementation of SPS in the region. Research and trainings were integrated in participatory capacity building of farmers to provide adequate tools and concepts and support decision-making.

Good agricultural practices (GAP) are norms and procedures developed to obtain agricultural products in a sustainable way. The specific GAP for dairy farms are good dairy practices (GDP) which objective is sustainable milk production. Animal products obtained with environmentally responsible practices, joined with increased awareness for animal well-being, concern modern consumers. This fact challenges the livestock sector and opens opportunities for products from animals maintained under high welfare standards. The measures to achieve high states of animal welfare are complementary with GDP. Animals that live in enhanced environmental conditions, with optimal health status, reach higher wellness and have a better performance. Therefore, animal well-being is strongly related with efficiency and profitability in dairy production. In the case study area of Italva, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, the traditional milking practices of small dairy farmers, the low milk yield, the environmental conditions, the degradation of natural resources, and poor infrastructure hamper good quality and a high and constant milk production. The potentials and constraints of small milk producers of Italva to adopt GDP through animal welfare concepts are analyzed to support farmers to achieve sustainability, to increase production, and to have access to broader markets and fairer prices for high-quality milk.

Ten million hectares of sugarcane make Brazil the largest global producing country. By the year 2024, legislation will ban the burning of dry leaves before manual harvest. Solutions like the self-propelled harvester technology are available. Nevertheless, since these solutions require high investments and large cropping fields for economically feasible operational costs, they are more favorable and widely adapted for large-scale producers. However, small- and medium-scale producers are under increasing pressure to adapt and remain competitive as the Brazilian market for agricultural engines does not offer adequate harvesting technologies. The average sugarcane farm size in Rio de Janeiro state is approximately 11 ha, with a low average yield when compared to the average yield of the country. The conditions to be considered for the implementation of innovative harvesting technology, so far developed up to a classified test-bench status, involve all technical, economic, and site-specific requirements. This research defined the adequate conditions for a harvesting technology based on the sugarcane cycle analysis.

The conversion of natural areas into agricultural systems for food and energy production has globally put biodiversity and ecosystem functions at risk. Recent research has focused on characterizing biodiversity and ecological functions, e.g., pollination, seed dispersal, and control of herbivorous arthropods, as well as on the best agricultural practices to consort the production and conservation of natural environments. In this context, birds can serve as models – both for the relatively good taxonomic resolution and ecological knowledge and for the range of ecosystem services that they consistently perform. We discuss the most sustainable practices for both the maintenance of biodiversity focusing on bird fauna and of ecological processes, and thus for human well-being. In order to close ranks between biodiversity conservation and agricultural production, biodiversity can be incorporated directly or indirectly into agroecosystem management, either to measure or monitor ecological parameters, to identify priority areas for conservation, or to identify suitable native plant species for ecological restoration or agricultural productivity. For the state of Rio de Janeiro (RJ), different ecosystem management solutions are developed to link biodiversity conservation with the safe operation of agroecosystem and sustainable production, taking into account Brazil’s complex legal-environmental framework.

Fragmentation has become one of the most pressing threats to Brazil’s Atlantic Forest causing habitat loss and the erosion of species diversity, thus compromising ecosystem functioning and the provision of crucial ecosystem services. Beyond the legal obligations of forest owners to protect their forest properties, the creation of private protected areas (Reservas Particulares do Patrimônio Natural, RPPNs) is an important strategy to counteract fragmentation. Such RPPNs allow maintaining or reestablishing connectivity, by acting as stepping stones or as local corridors. However, only few efforts have been carried out to systematically link RPPNs at local implementation level. Therefore, this study aims to explore possible connectivity paths between established and probable future RPPNs in two municipalities. Connectivity routes among RPPNs were identified by using two methods: the “least cost path” method that allowed finding the “cheapest” paths by assigning different weights to land use features and a second method which ranks the different land use features from suitable to non-suitable area for linking RPPNs. Incorporating the willingness of landowners to establish RPPNs into the latter method permitted the identification of suitable linkages between RPPNs and priority areas for future RPPN establishment.

In addition to water quality, hydromorphological characteristics are crucial for the integrity of river ecosystems: Factors such as flow diversity, substrate variety, or riparian vegetation create diverse habitats for aquatic organisms with their specific demands. These habitats are impaired by channelization, longitudinal river fragmentation, and degradation of the riparian vegetation. In the state of Rio de Janeiro, rivers are exposed to increasing anthropogenic pressures mainly caused by urban growth, intensive agricultural land use, and alterations induced by climate change. While knowledge about the resulting deterioration of the water quality is well established, the knowledge base about consequences for the hydromorphological quality is thinner. Consequently, the hydromorphological potentials and deficits have to be identified and assessed to preserve or revitalize river ecosystems. For this purpose, the applicability of the German on-site method (LAWA-OS) was tested for hydromorphological assessment of streams. This method assesses the hydromorphological state of stream sections against predefined reference conditions. Based on the assessment results, the method identifies stream sections with different ecological development possibilities such as preservation, revitalization, or restriction. This article describes an on-site application test and formulates the applicability of the LAWA-OS method in Brazil by the example of the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Southeast Brazil is the economic backbone of the country where about 70% of the national GDP is generated. The continuously growing pressure from rural and industrial land use is causing progressive land degradation, especially within the unique Atlantic Forest dominion of this region. Restoration and rehabilitation of degraded areas or of impact caused by building activities are still scarce and carried out using mainly technical engineering methods. Natural engineering or soil bioengineering measures using living plant material are very rare, and if applied, they mostly use non-native plants already proven to work in other tropical regions. As the demand for bioengineered rehabilitation and ecological restoration is expected to increase, suitable plant material is urgently needed. The use of non-native plants for engineering carries several ecological risks, in particular the invasive spread of these plants. This chapter provides a brief overview of the actual state of the art regarding the use of native and non-native plant species in rehabilitation and restoration measures applied in the Atlantic Forest dominion. Furthermore, first results are presented from a case study on bioengineered rehabilitation of a degraded pasture where plants native to Southeast Brazil were successfully used.

Several native and endemic tree species of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil, especially precious wood species, are highly endangered. In consequence, the legal extraction from wild forests is completely forbidden, and legal extraction from plantations is strictly regulated. Among them is Paubrasilia echinata Lam. – in Portuguese pau-brasil – Brazil’s national tree. Its precious wood is used worldwide as raw material for high-quality violin bows. For professional musicians, alternative wood species in violin bows are rarely accepted, even though some of them have been proven to meet the high technical standards of wood characteristics which pau-brasil guarantees. As an alternative solution to cover future wood demand, commercial pau-brasil plantations have been established and supported by violin makers, bow makers, and musicians. While several plantation types with pau-brasil exist, such as monospecific and mixed tree plantations and agroforestry systems, there is poor understanding concerning their long-term productivity, wood quality, and economic return. In order to guarantee continuous supply of planted pau-brasil for future wood markets and for these plantations to be sustainable, it is essential to identify potential ecological, economic, legal, and social assets and constraints including the potential contribution of wood supply by pau-brasil plantations. The presented data originate from a field study in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil with detailed inventories of nine plantations in Southern Bahia and Espírito Santo. Based on these data we discuss the future pau-brasil wood markets and estimate the conservation and utilization potential of pau-brasil for the state of Rio de Janeiro, the southernmost range of the species.

Although Rio de Janeiro is considered to be well endowed with renewable water resources, it faces several water challenges. Recurrent floods and landslides and the major drought of 2014–2015 in the Paraíba do Sul river basin, its main source, have given a reality check to the population showing that also water scarcity can be a problem and that water availability is highly dependent on neighboring states. Furthermore, there are still major water quality issues and a relatively high number of people without adequate water supply and sanitation. Overall, it can be stated that the level of water security is considerably far from being at a satisfactory level. The reasons for this situation cannot only be found in the natural variability of natural resources but rather in the prevailing water resources governance system. Even though the Brazilian water laws promote an integrated approach to water management, the practice does not always meet the high aspirations, as observed in Rio de Janeiro state. This chapter analyzes the natural resource base relevant for water resources in the state of Rio de Janeiro and in the interstate Paraíba do Sul basin, its main source. The water resources challenges and the general principles of IWRM and multilevel water governance in Rio de Janeiro are discussed. Furthermore some suggestions on how to assure a higher level of water security in the state are provided.

The rural area of Rio de Janeiro (RJ) state has experienced increased pressure on water resources, due to an increasing population linked with the growth of the industrial and agricultural sectors. High interannual variability of rainfall causes frequent extreme events leading to droughts, floods, and landslides. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how climate affects the interaction between the timing of extreme rainfall events, hydrological processes, vegetation growth, soil cover, and soil erosion. Ecohydrological modeling can contribute to a better understanding of spatial–temporal process dynamics to develop adaptation strategies. However, prior to modeling, it is crucial to evaluate the reliability of the climate and hydrological data. This study aims to homogenize the climatic data and to analyze the hydro-climatic time series needed for further hydrological studies (e.g., ecohydrological modeling) and to contribute to a better understanding of long-term hydro-climatic patterns in a mesoscale watershed, the Muriaé River Basin. The analyses include homogeneity assessment, statistical analyses, and trend detection for a time period of over 50 years. The assessment provides important insights into long-term hydro-climatic patterns, such as an increase of the annual mean temperature, a decrease of the annual relative humidity, and an increase of the frequency of intense rainfall events.

Understanding hydrological process dynamics is a crucial requirement for river basin management and environmental planning. Possible future climate changes raise questions about their impact on human livelihoods, which strongly depend on water availability and quality, soil fertility, and other ecosystem services. This chapter presents a physically based, spatially distributed ecohydrological model that was applied within three meso- to macroscale watersheds in the hinterland of Rio de Janeiro. While an increasing population and a fast-growing industrial sector create a high demand for water supply, the study region faces serious problems of forest fragmentation, overexploitation, and soil degradation, which create increasing pressures on water resources. This situation is further intensified by the climate conditions with distinct wet and dry periods that can cause floods and landslides in the rainy season and water shortages during dry periods, especially affecting the agricultural and domestic supply sectors. Recent water shortages raise questions how future climate changes will impact the hydrological dynamics and if river basin management needs to take appropriate counteractions. The results show that the developed models allow simulating hydrological processes at a high spatiotemporal resolution. Given the fact that their process representation is physically based, these models can help answer questions about hydrological dynamics under changing environmental conditions.

Latin-American countries lack efficient solutions for wastewater and sewage sludge treatment. In particular, small urbanized rural settlements (SURUS) in many of these countries face significant challenges with respect to the selection and operation of sustainable sewage treatment facilities. Decentralized sanitation and reuse (DESAR) solutions can significantly contribute toward the improvement of wastewater sanitation coverage in SURUS in Latin-American regions. The major advantages of DESAR for SURUS are a reduction in final treatment costs because these systems allow for water reclamation and sewage sludge reuse for agriculture. To reflect the applicability of DESAR on a regional scale, we present here an integrative assessment, including a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and geographic information systems (GIS) surveying, as a “decision support methodology” for conducting environmental-economic analyses. As a case study, this methodology was applied to six SURUS located at the Rio Dois Rios basin of Rio de Janeiro state. The CBA shows that DESAR could recover between 15% and 34% of total operational and maintenance costs for SURUS populations between 222 and 1,585 inhabitants. The findings suggest that DESAR systems can respond to the need to reduce costs and improve nutrient recovery capabilities of sanitation interventions in rural communities.

Impacts of human activities, mainly land use and land cover (LULC) changes, on hydrology and water quality are manifold and need to be ascertained. In order to understand and assess such impacts, water quality monitoring programs are crucial for collecting the required data. Transforming data into information is an important step, and water quality indices (WQIs) can be a useful and concise method for aggregating several parameters and measurements into a single number to facilitate problem identification and decision-making. For this study, a monitoring program was designed and implemented to measure water quality in a rural river basin in Rio de Janeiro (Guapi-Macacu). Three sub-watersheds, together with other relevant sampling points, were selected to assess the influence of the most relevant LULC classes on water quality. The monitored parameters were used to calculate the Canadian water quality index (CCME-WQI). This index was able to capture the impacts of water quality impairments such as untreated sewage and agricultural activities. The index calculation and resultant map, used to depict the spatial distribution, aim at becoming tools for practitioners and decision-makers in the basin.

Floods, landslides, and mudslides are frequent phenomena in Rio de Janeiro state (RJ). In the past decades, several catastrophic events have occurred and caused severe damages to people and infrastructure. In contrast, the persistent droughts that affected Southeast Brazil between 2014 and 2017 are phenomena that were not known earlier – at least in such frequency and intensity. Climate scenarios predict that extreme events will further increase in the future leading to increased heavy rainfall events on the one hand and longer dry spells on the other. In this chapter, we provide an overview on the different types of natural hazards, their occurrence (frequency) and intensity, and historical disasters caused by these hazards in RJ. Furthermore, we reconstruct in how far climate variability and human impact (in particular deforestation) affected the occurrence of hydrometeorological hazards in the Holocene. Based on the analysis of historical trends and modeling outcomes under different climate scenarios, we discuss potential future hazards.

This chapter describes and analyzes the recent evolution of disaster risk management in the state of Rio de Janeiro as evidenced through empirical observation, a bibliographic review, and a desk review. Firstly, it describes the two most serious types of hazards – floods and landslides – and shows which territories are more susceptible to risks. Then it introduces the political and institutional context at the state and municipal levels (primarily the civil defense agencies) and details their evolution in reaction to several disasters that have occurred over time. In 2011, the mega disaster in the Serrana region marked an evolution in policies in the state of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil. It triggered a paradigm shift from solely disaster management practices, focused on response and recovery, to broader risk management initiatives focused on risk assessment, prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Several institutions started to concentrate on risk management, especially in risk assessment and preparedness, for the two types of major hazards. The State Civil Defense, the Environmental State Institute, and the State Department of Mineral Resources were particularly relevant institutions in this context.

In the mountain ranges (Região Serrana) of the Rio de Janeiro state (RJ), natural hazards such as landslides, mudslides, and flooding are recurrent, causing considerable human and economic losses. These events are of natural origin, but landscape degradation contributes significantly to increased disaster risk. Extreme climatic events that triggered past disasters are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity in the future. The approaches of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) and ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) aim at the sustainable management, conservation, and restoration of ecosystems to cope with the adverse effects of climate change and reduce the impacts of natural hazards. In this context, this chapter provides a comprehensive overview of climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) policies at national and state level, before analyzing the linkages between CCA/DRR and biodiversity and ecosystem management. Finally, EbA/Eco-DRR measures that are currently planned or have already been implemented are presented, and the further potential and limitations of EbA/Eco-DRR in RJ are discussed.

A crucial element for risk governance and disaster risk reduction in recognized international frameworks involves inclusiveness of stakeholders. Due to the dimensions of risk governance processes in Brazil, the complexity of the institutional arrangements in the state of Rio de Janeiro, and the dynamicity of the local context, a combination of different local and regional participatory methods is necessary to evaluate the participation and community-based disaster risk management that promotes it. This study describes five main participation processes applied in water-related risk areas of Nova Friburgo, Sao Fidelis, and Rio de Janeiro municipalities and implements it through combined participation methods. Exemplified focus groups and participatory workshops are described, both combining five methods: the required planning and organization, adaptation for rural and peri-urban areas, tools for an effective participatory mapping and a network analysis, digitalization of participatory maps, etc. The influences, advantages, disadvantages, and inputs of the different methodologies are analyzed and compared. Combining methods requires time, resources, and constant work; nevertheless, it helps all stakeholders understand complex systems and actively participate in decision-making. For various levels of participation, a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods allows more interaction between stakeholders and different perspectives for deeper evaluation of participation and related aspects.

The Southeast region of Brazil represents the main economic center of the country. Its use and occupation date back to the beginning of colonization by European countries in the sixteenth century. This long period of economic activities led to the current scenario of land degradation. Since the time of the first settlements, native forests have been removed mainly by the cultivation of coffee in the Paraíba do Sul River Valley and West of São Paulo state and also by mining in Minas Gerais. The deforestation exposed fragile soils, developed on sandstones (São Paulo and Triângulo Mineiro), and low fertility soils, developed on igneous and metamorphic rocks (Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo), resulting in the increase of erosion processes. In some areas there are many deep gullies, associated with agriculture and the expansion of cities. In other areas, sheet erosion, gullies, and ravines occur frequently due to coffee cultivation and the introduction of livestock. The northwest part of Rio de Janeiro state is a region which deserves to be highlighted due to the serious threat of desertification caused by lower annual rainfall averages and the intense compaction of soils under excessive grazing. Sustainable and strategically sound restoration and rehabilitation activities need to be implemented to stop the ongoing process of land degradation.

The municipality of Itaocara is characterized by a pasture-dominated landscape (mainly dairy farming) at moderately to strongly inclined slopes. The major drivers for pasture degradation are poor and erosion-susceptible soils, a changing regional climate towards less frequent but stronger precipitation events, unsustainable pasture management practices as well as low awareness for degradation phenomena among farmers. Today, almost all sloped pastures in the NW of Rio de Janeiro state show various degradation levels, most noticeable in distinctive erosion forms such as rills, cattle tracks and gullies. If no rehabilitation measures and no sustainable pasture management will be applied to these fragile, historically strongly modified ecosystems, pastures will soon degrade to a degree and extent, where land use will not be profitable anymore and rural population might lose their main source of income. The paper presents the implementation, monitoring and management of a low-cost rehabilitation measure applied on a medium degraded sloped pasture in rural Itaocara. Slope-parcelling hedgerow terraces of various native tree species combined with erosion diminishing bioengineered measures and soil amelioration practices aim both at strengthening pasture resilience against degradation and enabling an extensive rotational pasture management at the same time. The measure will be discussed in the context of other advantageous vegetative and structural pasture rehabilitation approaches under given regional environmental and socio-economic conditions.

Progressing land degradation is of increasing global concern because it deteriorates essential ecosystem features, functions, and services as observed in our study area in the highly fragmented Mata Atlântica biome, RJ, Brazil. The prioritization of sites for land rehabilitation is a frequent task for environmental managers and essential to develop urgently needed public policies. Hence, we present a GIS-based tool based on ecological principles for the selection of reforestation sites by integrating data on pasture degradation and landscape fragmentation. Thereby, the prioritized areas do not only represent opportunities for increasing forest cover and enhancing forest connectivity but also for reducing the area of degraded pastures. From our perspective, the inclusion of spatial information on degraded pastures is essential, since many of these areas have lost important ecological and economic function and should thus be prioritized for intervention. Data on degraded pastures and forest cover used in this study are derived from high- and medium-resolution satellite imagery. Other spatial data are derived from a digital elevation model (DEM) with 20 m resolution. The multicriteria analysis for the data integration was conducted using ESRI ArcGIS and the open-source software ILWIS.

This chapter reviews the evolution of state policies and institutions responsible for land use policy and conservation incentives to landowners in Rio de Janeiro, with emphasis on the areas involved in implementing agro-environmental programs. We refer to some of the efforts underway to create private patrimony reserves, biological corridors, and PES instruments based on water resource protection and sustainable land use practices. We discuss the impacts of those policy interventions on regional efforts to motivate landscape protection and restoration along with possible alternatives. The discussion is couched within the framework of national and global debates regarding participatory landscape management and poverty amelioration in developing countries.

The Brazilian agricultural sector is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, but climate-smart practices combined with degraded land restoration can result in a more resilient landscape contributing to integrated climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. The Sustainable Rural Development Program of Rio de Janeiro (RIO RURAL) has been supporting the transition of degraded rural areas to sustainable productive systems by providing technical assistance and incentives to small-scale family farmers. RIO RURAL promotes reforestation and sustainable agriculture practices, which can boost productivity as well as carbon stocks in the agricultural landscape. Using estimates of carbon mitigation potential for such practices, we identified methodologies eligible for certification in the voluntary markets. We estimated transaction, implementation, and certification costs and calculated potential revenues associated with RIO RURAL’s activities. This did not only allow us to discuss the constraints and identify opportunities and co-benefits from RIO RURAL’s contribution to climate mitigation, adaptation, and environmental integrity but also to food security as it targets family farms. We propose a bundling approach to carbon, where multiple benefits are measured and certified including water, food systems, as well as social and cultural benefits. This would allow accessing resources from both mitigation and adaptation programs in addition to markets that value ecosystem integrity as well as water and food security.

In the northwest region of Rio de Janeiro state, where many rural households base their income on unproductive farm activities, federal subsidies, and social help, young family members migrate, threatening the sustainable economic development of the region. As answer to the problem, the government of Rio de Janeiro has promoted the adoption of methodological and technological innovations in several micro-watersheds for the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources through the RIO RURAL program. A big challenge the program faces is to improve the quality of life in the countryside by conciliating these measures with increasing and stable revenues for the households. Since income diversification practices reduce the inherent risk of price volatility of commodities, this chapter offers an insight on the sources of income diversification of 200 rural households that benefited from the RIO RURAL program. The analysis shows that most households diversify or plan to diversify their income based on conventional strategies on-farm, or alternative off-farm employment, following the path that causes the original problems. In this context, the chapter describes an applied methodology for promoting alternative income diversification strategies in the region, taking advantage of the recently enriched innovation resources and involving young labor force. The results endorse the further application of the methodology in other regions.

Environmental protection that enhances the resilience of rural landscapes depends ultimately on farmers’ decisions. Enforcing environmental law is essential to maintain the ecological functionality within watersheds but represents high costs particularly for family farmers in rural Rio de Janeiro state, who are embedded in a highly competitive rural-urban context. The RIO RURAL program simultaneously addresses environmental sustainability at the micro-watershed level and competitive employment in the family farming sector. The program seeks incentives for more sustainable land use for family farmers. The INTECRAL project has identified pathways for incentives giving a marketable value to the environmental achievements of more sustainable landscapes provided by small-scale farmers. Several international trends for marketing eco-friendly farm products were identified and reviewed in terms of suitability for the local conditions of production, markets, and institutional environments. These trends refer to payment for ecosystem services (PES) for eco-friendly traditional farming as well as regional sustainability labels, including organic farming and carbon mitigation initiatives to appease consumers’ conscience. The willingness to participate was identified for family farmers. RIO RURAL program plays a central role to introduce PES in potential marketing strategies and to facilitate label introduction based on already implemented control mechanisms at low costs for producers.

The urban-rural landscape between the three cities of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Belo Horizonte is the most densely populated part of the entire Brazil and its economic backbone. For the state of Rio de Janeiro (RJ), many rural areas are characterized by declining and aging population, while the urban areas still increase in population (George and McGranahan 2010; Gragnolati et al. 2011). Greater economic opportunities and other pull factors of urban areas draw rural migration toward the cities where they cause higher demands for food, water, and energy resources, which are met by rural landscapes’ decreasing agricultural production. This development puts additional pressure on the natural resources, which already suffered from historical overexploitation (Chap. 2).