Environmental aspects in flower and ornamental plant agribusiness

Abstract

The cultivation of flowers and ornamental plants in Brazil is a highly important activity since it produces jobs and income to several Brazilian states where it is conspicuous in small rural farms worked by individual families. The planted area is expanding in the country and in protected environments. The main species cultivated comprise chrysanthemums, roses, kalanchoe, violets, begonias, gerberas, focus and ferns. Northern and Northeastern Brazil are the main producing regions, although the commercial sector has to cope with the flowers’ seasonality and low consumption per capita. However, from the environmental point of view, floriculture has many assets when compared to other important economical cultures. The use of agro-industrial residues such as fertilizers or substrates, efficient use of water and mineral nutrients through the fertilization-irrigation process, and cultivation in protected environments have a scanty negative environmental impact. Flower and ornamental plant agribusiness fits within the context of sustainable development.