Resumo. This article seeks to discuss the results with the survey that sought to identify, by means of indicators and social-economical information, if the exploitation of baru nut ( Dipteryx alata Vogel) – a Brazilian species from the savannah – carried out by the private sector (companies, cooperatives and representatives organizations of family farmer), established in municipalities in Goiás state and in the Federal District, which represents a sustainable alternative to generate income. This study measured the environmental, social, economic, political, and health dimensions of sustainability by using indicators. This study also searched identify the obstacles faced by organizations in the production chain of baru nut and proposed a production model for this nut of Cerrado. The results showed that under current circumstances, the extraction of baru nut by the sampled organizations is not a sustainable activity to generate income once it supports partially the premise that a sustainable activity must be a balance among the dimensions mentioned above. The obstacles that the baru nut chain has today can be a powerful one, not only to manage the chain itself but also to compromise the whole sustainability of this activity.