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Socioeconomic and Environmental Aspects of the Production of Silk Cocoons in the Brazilian Sericulture

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Sustainable Fashion and Textiles in Latin America

Part of the book series: Textile Science and Clothing Technology ((TSCT))

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Abstract

Sericulture is extremely important in the socioeconomic context in Brazil. The country is the fifth largest silk producer in the world, and the silk produced in Brazil is internationally recognized for its quality. Nonetheless, sericultural activities have direct impacts on the silkworm rearers (sericulturists) and are also responsible for environmental impacts, caused by the exchanges of energy and material between the natural environment and the technical/technological environment. Based on that, this exploratory and qualitative study aimed to identify the aspects that affect the (i) socioeconomic and (ii) environmental conditions of silk cocoon production in Brazilian sericulture. Two surveys were designed to collect information on the socioeconomic and environmental aspects of sericulture. The data sets collected through surveys were treated using the NVivo software tool. The results present the socioeconomic and environmental aspects of the production of silk cocoons, and what measures could improve these conditions in order to provide a better quality of life for sericulturists and to improve the relationship of sericulture with the environment in order to guarantee continuity of the activity. In general, the results show that sericulture proved to be ahead of many other cultures with regard to socioeconomic aspects, as it is an alternative to the diversification of small rural properties, generating monthly income for families in rural areas. In addition, there is evidence of efforts to make sericultural activities less impacting on the environment.

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Acknowledgements

This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001, and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) (Sponsored by CNPq 310686/2017-2), Fundação Araucária (Support for Scientific and Technological Development of Paraná) by means of CP20/2013, Doctoral Program in Textile Engineering in partnership with a Foreign Institution (Uminho/UEM/UTFPR), and the ERDF through the Operational Program for Competitiveness Factors—COMPETE and national funds by FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology.

figure a

The authors would like to show their gratitude for the support provided by the Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR) (Brazil), University of Minho (Portugal), and the State University of Maringá (Brazil).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM), Cianorte, Brazil

    Silvia Mara Bortoloto Damasceno Barcelos & Eliane Pinheiro

  2. Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR), Ponta Grossa, Brazil

    Rodrigo Salvador, Cassiano Moro Piekarski & Antonio Carlos de Francisco

  3. Universidade do Minho, Guimarães, Portugal

    Graça Guedes

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  1. Silvia Mara Bortoloto Damasceno Barcelos
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  2. Rodrigo Salvador
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  3. Graça Guedes
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  4. Eliane Pinheiro
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  5. Cassiano Moro Piekarski
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  6. Antonio Carlos de Francisco
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Correspondence to Silvia Mara Bortoloto Damasceno Barcelos .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Studies on Sustainable Luxury, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Miguel Ángel Gardetti

  2. University of Lima, Lima, Peru

    Rosa Patricia Larios-Francia

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Barcelos, S.M.B.D., Salvador, R., Guedes, G., Pinheiro, E., Piekarski, C.M., de Francisco, A.C. (2021). Socioeconomic and Environmental Aspects of the Production of Silk Cocoons in the Brazilian Sericulture. In: Gardetti, M.Á., Larios-Francia, R.P. (eds) Sustainable Fashion and Textiles in Latin America. Textile Science and Clothing Technology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-1850-5_1

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