**2. Ponta de Pedras: a municipality in the Brazilian Amazon**

natural resources has intensified, especially for export, with few benefits for its socioenvironmental sustainability. Anthropization of the territory and changes in the natural landscape

inhabitants, according to [1], corresponding to 8.2% of the Brazilian population. The end of the twentieth century, at the Amazon frontier, brought important structural and territorial transformations in the economic and social relations resulting from globalization [2]. This phenomenon promoted changes in the Amazon and affected the forest biodiversity [3, 4]. Globalization conveys the ideas of speed and fluidity that are connected to the characteristics of modern global society, defined by [5] as the technical-scientific-informational environment. Globalization is not only the existence of this new system of techniques, but it is also the result of the actions that ensure the emergence of a so-called global market. It is related to a consumer society, a technological society, or capitalist information societies, referred by [6]

Considering these aspects, this chapter aims to analyze the production of açaí for the inclusion of the region in the globalization process, in the municipality of Ponta de Pedras, in the Brazilian Amazon, located in Marajó Island, Brazil. This relationship was studied in rural and urban areas, based on three elements: access to consumer goods, changes in eating habits, and

Açaí (*Euterpe oleracea* Mart.) has been increasingly used in national and international cuisine, so it is globally marketed, after it was discovered by two Californian surfers in around 1990. The production of açaí fruit is one of the main elements of the income and consumption of the riverside population of the State of Pará, with heart of palm as a by-product [7]. Also known as açaí-do-Pará, açaí-do-baixo Amazonas, açaí-de-touceira, açaí-de-planta, and true açaí, it has countless uses [8]. Its production is best developed in floodplains, during the rainy periods of the region. The expansion of the açaí economy occurred due to a combination of internal and external factors. This expansion cannot be understood as a result of rural migration and urban growth only, but also due to changes and maintenance of eating habits, taste preferences, and forms of consumption, which occurred together with changes in the

For the development of this quali-quantitative study, a field data collection methodology was used, with questionnaires applied to the person in charge of the household, 320 in all urban sectors and 68 in the rural area of Ponta de Pedras, following randomized, stratified sampling (approved by the Ethics Committee of the Public Health School of USP, 099377/2015). In the rural area, the communities located along Rio Fortaleza, Rio Jupuba, Rio Marajó-Açu, and Rio São Miguel were selected because of their economic importance in the production and sale of açaí, and because they are close to the urban area. The following information was obtained: socioeconomic profile of the residents, family income, educational level, ownership of consumer goods as electrical and electronic equipment, eating habits and types of food consumed, waste disposal, sanitation habits and infrastructure of households, and health

conditions. The field study was conducted between January and July 2016.

. It has 12.9 million

The Brazilian Amazon is the largest region in the country with 4 million km2

reflect intense rural-urban migratory processes.

as the network society.

12 Current Issues in Global Health

population health.

symbolic value related to açaí [9].

Ponta de Pedras is part of a group of small cities in the Brazilian Amazon. It is located at latitude 01°23′25" South and longitude 48°52′16" West, and it is one of the 143 municipalities of the State of Pará (**Figure 1**). Its site is on Marajó Island, in the estuary region of the Amazon River, 3 h and 30 min by boat from the state capital, Belém. The municipality has an upland (Terra Firme) and a lowland influenced by the Rio Marajó-Açu. The water system connected to this river varies in depth between summer and winter, causing changes in the human dynamics of the municipality, such as fishing and collecting forest products, as well as in the navigation on the river. Several durable and industrialized products are brought from the capital by boat for supplying the local commerce, and, on the opposite direction, the local production is distributed to Belém, such as fish, açaí, heart of palm, among others. The degree of urban/rural mobility is determined by factors that include the distance between the communities and the City Administration and the economic power in the urban area [11].

The municipality had 27,000 inhabitants, 49% of them in the urban area, an annual population growth of 3.35% between 2000 and 2010, and Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.562, lower than the Brazilian index of 0.768 [1]. Regarding the municipal HDI, in 2010, longevity presented a 0.77 index, income 0.558, and education 0.412, the worst component of the local index, indicating a high proportion of children and youth out of school. As discussed by [12], between 1969 and 2010, the small town of Ponta de Pedras expanded physically by more than 100%,

**Figure 1.** Location of the municipality of Ponta de Pedras. Source: produced by Laboratory for Studies of Cities— UNIVAP [10].

and this growth meant a significant increase of its urban area. The municipality's predominant economic activity is the açaí production and fishing. Poor sanitation and health services are widespread. The urban area of Ponta de Pedras, despite presenting economic growth, does not provide proper services and basic infrastructure to its residents [13]. On the other hand, 99% of urban households have electricity, and in the rural area, it is 90%. The population reported that the Federal Government's "Electricity for All" program, starting in 2009, improved their living conditions and provided access to energy-dependent goods and benefits. Electricity in households already had increased from 32.19% in 1991 to 74.84% in 2010.

moment has also resulted in new land and social conflicts, inserting the Amazon in the

Açaí has become a key cultural symbol of the region, valued for the quality of its fresh juice, heart of palm, its multiple uses, and unique esthetic beauty of the plant that is sold for gardens of all social classes [9]. Besides manioc, açaí is a staple food and a vital source of calories for the local population. The market of açaí export to the United States, Japan, and other

due to an investment in açaí handling and production, processing of the fruit, and expansion

As açaí won the preference of consumers abroad, it also became a global market product, which inserted Ponta de Pedras, a small municipality in the Amazon with excessive production, in the global market. However, the exported amount is still below its full potential.

With the internationalization of açaí fruit, its production and distribution network, particularly of the State of Pará, invested in marketing, targeting the external market. With the advent of technologies and social media, the product has received even more attention, leading to

When a product is inserted in the global market, its condition, entity, or local identity is extended beyond national boundaries and becomes global [17]. The local production of açaí, when winning the international market, is submitted to this process beyond borders. However, the commercial transaction of this extractive product has generated economic and ecological benefits to the local population, contributing to the economic sustainability of many riverside families. In addition, the workers of the açaí production chain, and other extractive products, adopted sustainable practices for the extraction and conservation of açaí palm trees [9]. In this new economic cycle of the fruit, large commercial cities, and small towns in Amazon, like

The globalization process allows insertions from local to global level; however, it requires dynamism that, often, does not correspond to the local reality. It is related to environmental, sociocultural and sometimes economic deteriorations that directly or indirectly impact the population, especially on the riverside [8]. On the other hand, this space transformation in the

Açaí started to be sold in the state of Pará, at supermarkets, gyms, and fast food chain stores, in order to fulfill new market niches and cover consumers with higher purchasing power [19]. The fruit exploitation is conducted in native açaí plantations, which present low productivity, especially between harvests [20]. Because of this problem, many families adopt deforestation practices to produce subsistence crops, turning the environmental problems in the region worse. Social and economic connections involved in the açaí trading have changed the fruit

Abu Dhabi, Germany, Angola, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, South Korea, Denmark, United Arab Emirates, Slovakia, Estonia, France, Holland, England, Israel, Norway, New Zealand, Peru, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Czech

, in 2012, amounted to more than US\$ 17 million. The trend is to increased exports

Globalization and Health in a Small Town in the Amazon Region

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.79431

15

global agenda. In Brazil, the State of Pará is the largest producer of açaí [14].

Globalization has reduced the distance between markets [16].

new consumers out of Pará, leveraging this global consumer market.

Amazon contributes to the strengthening of urban networks [18].

Republic, Russia, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Uruguay [8].

countries1

of exports to other countries [8, 15].

Ponta de Pedras, were benefitted.

1

More than half of the urban population (61%) has a family average income of 1–3 minimum wages (US\$ 250), and among the rural population, 25% receive up to one minimum wage. Minimum wage is paid as salary or retirement to Brazilian population, and it is established annually by a federal decree. At the time of the fieldwork, it was around 250 US American dollars.

Higher income in the urban area is due to the possibility of developing autonomous activities and small services, such as the sale of açaí at home. Regarding their income, the interviewees reported that the benefits received from the government (such as family minimum allowance, unemployment insurance to fishermen and retirement) are important in the domestic budget to cover family expenses, and contribute to the local economy and access to consumer goods, such as mobile phones and household appliances, internet services, etc. In Ponta de Pedras, 55% of the inhabitants in the urban area and 51% in the rural area receive the family minimum allowance. In the rural area, the unemployment insurance to fishermen is the most important benefit, received by 76% of the interviewees. In addition, the high number of workers in açaí extraction activity in rural areas indicates it is the main source of local income. Of the total number of interviewees from the rural area, 8% have the family allowance as their sole source of income as they do not have any formal employment or other income. In the urban area, 18% of the interviewed families do not have any income, and in the rural area, 6% of interviewees reported no benefit and no source of income.

Lack of sufficient income has a direct impact on family health determinants, including food availability. On the other hand, this reality has a smaller impact on rural population, as interviewees reported they can plant and have fruits from the forest such as açaí, besides fishing, which guarantees healthier sources of calories.

Regarding the educational level of the interviewed population, 14% are illiterate in the urban area, and 13% in the rural area. Only 22% of the urban interviewees concluded high school, and in rural communities, only 4% have this degree. Low educational levels have a negative impact on finding a good job, according to the interviewees, especially for young people.
