4. Results
4.1. Rice farmers’ perceptions of soil quality
The rice farmers of Camaquã region distinguished soil quality primarily on the basis of three classes of soil colour: black (preto), mixed (misturado) and white (branco). The list and classification of the farmers’ soil quality indicators is presented in Table 4. The farmers considered soil colour as a proxy for soil quality. According to their perception black soil is found in lower areas and is the best soil because it contains more clay, is rich in organic matter, is softer, has better infiltration, is more fertile, has more soil organisms and nutrients, and thus produces more. During the interviews, each farmer valued his own lot by using terms such as ‘good’,’ rich’ and ‘strong’ for black soils, ‘moderate’ for mixed soils, and ‘bad’, ‘poor’ and ‘weak’ for white soils.