Contribuiiio Da Agricultura E Do Agroneggcio Familiar Para O Pib Do Nordeste (The Importance of the Family Agribusiness to the Northeast Region GDP)

Abstract

this aim of this paper is to estimate the level of economic activity in the Northeast Region of Brazil which is derived from the family agribusiness, for the period from 1995 to 2006. The agribusiness takes into consideration the relations between the agriculture production and the other sectors in the economy, i.e.: a) inputs for production; b) industry; and c) transportation, distribution, and commercialization. Using an interregional input-output model it was possible to estimate the importance of the family agribusiness Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at the regional and national level. The results show that about 45% of the Northeast agribusiness comes from family farmers. However, the unfavorable performance of agricultural production after 2003 was more intense in the Northeast region, reducing the share of the total and the family agribusiness in this region. In general, nonagricultural sectors of the economy grew faster than agribusiness, contributing to a reduction of the agribusiness share in the economy.