Paulo Marcelo Veras de Paiva

Paulo is a Brazilian agronomist. He obtained his BSc. in Agriculture in 2000 from the Universidade Federal de Viçosa, and his MSc. in Tropical Biodiversity in 2009 from Universidade Federal do Amapá. He works as Researcher at Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa) in Amapá, where he is part of the Forest research group. His main interest is the sustainable use of the natural resources of the Amazon region and how to improve the coexistence of agricultural production with environment conservation.

Short description of PhD thesis

This project aims to

  1. classify input sources (char quality) and evaluate the char products obtained by different processes for their physico-chemical properties and biological effects;
  2. evaluate the most promising products (in combination with mineral fertilizers) in terms of nutrient balances and crop productivity;
  3. estimate rates of new formation;
  4. look at options and constraints from the biophysical and socio-economic side.

Together with project #5 the project will assess potential tradeoffs between increased agricultural sustainability and productivity and carbon sequestration, and link these data in a decision model that could affect policy makers and institutional discourses when scaling up local Terra Preta Nova projects. Together with project #5 it provides a framework for further questions such as: To whom would benefits (agricultural production, carbon sequestration) accrue? Who would decide about quantities and rates of charcoal addition to such soils? Who decides in cases here is a tradeoff between soils as carbon sinks and Terra Preta Nova soils as sources for sustainable agriculture?

Recent publications:

Bergier, I.; Maia, C.M.B.F.; Guiotoku, M; Paiva, P; Silva, A.P.; Novotny, E.H. (2015) Pyrolysis dynamics of biomass in hot-stage BioResources, 10 (4), 7604-7617.

Guedes, M.C.; Neves, E.S.; Rodrigues, E.G.; Paiva, P.; Costa, J.B.P.; Freitas, M.F.; Lemos, L.F. (2014) Castanha na Roça: Expansão da produção e renovação dos castanhais em áreas de agricultura itinerante no Amapá, Brasil. Boletim do Museu Paraense de Ciências Naturais, v.9, n.2, ISS 1981-8114.

Paiva, Paulo Marcelo; Guedes, Marcelino Carneiro ; Funi, Claudia . Brazil nut conservation through shifting cultivation. Forest Ecology and Management, v. 261, p. 508-514, 2011.