14269 -Sistemas agroflorestais com cafezais no estado do Espírito Santo: o olhar do agricultor Agroforestry with coffee plantations in Espirito Santo: farmer's point of view

Coffee trees occupy 9,8 % of the area in the State of Espirito Santo, Brazil. Unshaded coffee monocultures predominate but have coffee agroforestry systems (AFS). To analyze them we conducted 58 semistructured interviews with coffee growers. Of the interviewed farmers, 37 were satisfied with the AFS. Farmers satisfied were motivated the other sources than coffee, the work in the shade and environmental conservation. One of the main factors that caused dissatisfaction was the competition between shade trees and coffee shrubs. We conclude that the simplified AFS may contribute to environmental conservation and to be an economical option.