Field Research: A Comparative Analysis Between Conventional, Organic and Sustainable Methods of Tomato Production

Agriculture represents one of the main pillars of the Brazilian economy, its importance being related to food security and the generation of job opportunities. However, it is necessary to have a critical reflection on the sustainability of planting. Among the different types of crops, tomatoes stood out as one of the most planted and consumed fruits in the world. This article provides a comparative assessment between three types of tomato planting: conventional, organic and sustainable (TOMATEC®), from soil preparation to commercialization on the market. The work was carried out in the north of the state of Rio de Janeiro, together with groups that produce the fruit in these three types of planting. The methodology was based on an unstructured questionnaire, with free responses, applied to farmers in the region. We believe that this study will contribute to the orientation of society through data obtained from serious information processing criteria. The main results showed, through the sustainable planting system of EMBRAPA (innovation), that it is possible to use pesticides with environmental awareness and produce fruit free of residues. Diseases, in the conventional system, are controlled by the application of fungicides and bactericides. In sustainable planting, a mixture of homemade detergent with soy oil, Bordeaux mixture, cow’s milk, contact fungicides and systemic fungicides is used, and in the organic production system, it is common not to let the disease settle in the plant, through preventive control of soil preparation and protection. In pest control, the conventional system performs the application of insecticides composed of various active principles. In the organic system, the control of insects is privileged by balancing the soil, with this, the plants acquire greater resistance to diseases and pests. In the sustainable system, there is no preventive treatment, but curative. Market fruit prices for conventional planting fluctuate and depend on supply, while tomatoes from organic and sustainable systems do not fluctuate. Organic production does not have the installed capacity to meet market demands. With this, the sustainable system has been gaining space in the market and expanding in the Southeast and South of the country.