A Política de Assistência Social entre rios e florestas: as particularidades do acesso à Proteção Social Básica na comunidade ribeirinha Maria de Nazaré no município de Careiro Castanho/AM

Abstract

The Brazilian Amazon is a territory of great environmental and cultural richness, and a diversity of peoples, where indigenous, riverside, extractive, fishing, artisan, and quilombola communities coexist, whose traditional knowledge contributes to the protection of nature and the sustainable use of natural resources. At the same time, more than just natural heritage, the region constitutes a space of diversity and resistance, but presents socio-environmental particularities that pose challenges to the effectiveness of public policies, especially Social Assistance, such as its extensive territorial dimension, predominantly fluvial displacement, geographic isolation, and the seasonality of the rivers. These factors directly affect the implementation, coverage, and access to social assistance services in the Amazonian territories. In this context, the general objective of this study was to analyze the particularities experienced by families in the riverside community of Maria de Nazaré in accessing Basic Social Protection (BSP) of the Social Assistance Policy (SAP), considering the paths taken, climate change, and the provision of the CRAS (Social Assistance Reference Center) in the municipality of Careiro Castanho/AM. As specific objectives, the research sought to: (1) investigate the social indicators and geographical particularities of the municipality of Careiro Castanho and the riverside community of Maria de Nazaré; (2) identify the institutional reality of the CRAS (Social Assistance Reference Center) in the provision of Basic Social Protection services and the challenges faced by riverside families in accessing social assistance services; and (3) analyze how climate change impacts these families' access to Basic Social Protection and the strategies adopted by the CRAS in the face of climate events. The research adopted a qualitative-quantitative approach, based on historical-dialectical materialism, allowing for the analysis of reality in its totality, considering its contradictions and mediations. Bibliographic and documentary research was carried out, based on books, articles, theses, dissertations, audiovisual productions, and legal frameworks, such as the Municipal Social Assistance Plan (PMAS 2022–2025) and the State Civil Protection and Defense Plan. The field research took place in the Maria de Nazaré community, with the participation of fifteen families, through the application of forms with open and closed questions, and at the CRAS Careiro Castanho, with semi-structured interviews conducted with four PSB reference technicians.The study followed the established ethical procedures, including obtaining informed consent. The results show that access to Primary Health Care (PHC) in the riverside community of Maria de Nazaré is limited, with distance from social assistance services and a lack of mobile outreach teams, restricting access to social rights. In a context of marked territorial inequalities and intensified climate emergencies in the Amazon, the relevance of PHC in mitigating the impacts on riverside families is highlighted. It is concluded that access to PHC for families in riverside communities in the Amazonian territories is fragile and limited to social programs. The meager state investments and territorial barriers compromise access to and the viability of social protection services, highlighting a policy insufficient to respond to the particularities of the Amazon. In this sense, the research results contributed to advancing knowledge about the functioning of the Basic Social Assistance Policy (PSB) in the region, by highlighting challenges faced by riverside families, structural limitations of the CRAS (Social Assistance Reference Center), and strategies adopted in the face of local specificities, emphasizing the need for preventive planning and greater articulation between the Social Assistance Policy and the management of socio-environmental risks.