Export Agribusiness Versus Family Farming in Brazil: From Structural Heterogeneity to Financing Asymmetries

This paper analyzes the regional economic impacts of climate change (CC) on the agricultural productivity of crops linked to family farming and large-scale agriculture in Brazil. Variations in agricultural productivity estimated according to CC scenarios RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 [ IPCC ( 2014 ). Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Core Writing Team, RK Pachauri and LA Meyer (eds.), IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, 151pp.], between 2021 and 2050, were used as inputs in the Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model AGRO-BR to project the economic impacts of the phenomenon. The model presents regional configuration composed of the 27 Brazilian Federation Units and 42 agricultural sectors, disaggregated into family farming and large-scale agriculture sectors. The results indicate that the North and Northeast regions would be negatively affected, Midwest and Southeast would suffer moderate impacts, while the South region would benefit mostly. São Paulo, Paraná, and Rio Grande do Sul would show economic growth, softening the negative impacts on national GDP. Regional disparities and the deterioration of food security conditions could increase in Brazil.

Objectives: to characterize and analyze the public policies and sustainable purchases that contribute to reducing environmental impacts and promote the development of family farming. In order to address the general objective of the research, the following specific objectives were carried out: 1) Contextualize family farming in Brazil; 2) Present and analyze the following public policies focused on family farming: Low Carbon Agriculture - ABC Plan, National Program for Strengthening Family Farming - PRONAF, Food Acquisition Program - PAA and National School Feeding Program - PNAE and 3) discuss the process of sustainable bidding and family farming. Methodology and data sources: the methodology used to achieve the study's objectives was tabular and graphical analysis of secondary data. The data sources were collected from the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Farming (MDA), the Central Bank of Brazil (BCB) through the Rural Credit Matrix, the National Supply Company (CONAB), the National Fund for Educational Development (FNDE) and data from the National Secretariat for Rural Social and Productive Inclusion (SEISP) through the Secretariat for Evaluation, Information Management and Single Registry (SAGICAD) platform. In addition, exploratory research was carried out using a bibliographic survey to support the results found. The period of analysis was from 2013 to 2023. Results: It is important to consider that the public policies mentioned above contribute to aligning economic, social and environmental aspects. Based on the evidence obtained, the programs proved to be effective in their aim of supporting family farming. Therefore, in order to continue their actions, it is recommended that the main characteristics of their design be maintained, which have been fundamental to achieving their results and, above all, that resources for their actions be expanded and guaranteed.

The theme of "precariousness of work" has been arousing the interest of researchers worldwide since the second half of the twentieth century, expanding the debate on this field of study every day, and providing, since then, the generation of a new morphology in the world of work. In family farming, the advent of precariousness has considerably increased the difficulties of rural workers, and consequently, generating increasing social inequalities. This study aimed to analyze published articles on "the precariousness of work in family farming in Brazil" with a time frame of 20 years (2000 to 2020). The method adopted included typical stages of a systematic mapping of literature. As a result of the execution of these steps, a total of 25 articles were analyzed, which allowed us to obtain important elements for a more qualified analysis of this field of study. The findings indicate that the precariousness of work reveals itself as a field of study that potentiates a rupture in the morphology of work, transforming labor relations for rural workers.

O artigo tem por objetivo refletir sobre o processo de construção da categoria agricultura familiar no Brasil contemporâneo. A reflexão aqui sintetizada toma por base a revisita aos principais trabalhos acadêmicos que contribuíram para definir o campo de reflexão da agricultura familiar no Brasil, análise documental e entrevistas com lideranças e assessores do sindicalismo da agricultura familiar. Argumenta-se que existiram três conjuntos de atores que promoveram a construção da categoria agricultura familiar no Brasil: alguns trabalhos acadêmicos que deram base para repensar o lugar teórico desta agricultura na história e no desenvolvimento do país; as políticas do Estado e as normativas legais que deram visibilidade e definiram operacionalmente como se compreende esta categoria; e as organizações de agricultores familiares que têm identificado nesta categoria o seu projeto de agricultura e a utilizam como identidade política.

The goal of this paper is to provide an update on smallholder farming in Brazil. Instead of using data from the last available Agricultural Census (2006), a database from the Ministry of Agrarian Development for 2014 was used. These data are extracted from a tax form called “Declaração de Aptidão ao Pronaf-DAP” (Declaration of Aptitude to Pronaf) that is mandatory for all farmers in Brazil and is used as a source of information to screen smallholders, also called “family farmers” in Brazil, applying for special subsidized public funds available to those in this category. Therefore, the DAP is a valuable source of information regarding this sector. The results show that family farming in Brazil continues to grow and is concentrated in the Northeastern region. The South and Southeast have the highest yields per hectare, up to seven times more than the Northeast. Most of the land is in the hands of a small group concentrated in the Northeast, while most of the income is in the hands of a small group concentrated in the South.   Key words: Family farm, economy, Brazil, agriculture.

In family farming, the property, management, and most of the work, including production and trade, is provided by people who have blood or marriage ties. The family farmer has recently risen as a political figure in the Brazilian history. From the point of view of public policies, the 1990s ushered the establishment of family farming as an agriculture model and political identity of Brazilian farming groups. This paper discusses the concept of family farming within the Brazilian public policies, as well as the contributions of this type of agriculture to the Brazilian development. It also approaches the impacts of the extinction of the Ministry of Agrarian Development (MDA) on this productive activity. This a qualitative basic research. The method consisted in a bibliographic and documentary survey. The end of the MDA set back the achievements of family farming and the advancement of land reform of the past two decades. Family farming lacks a framework of specific public policies that ensures the improvement and progress of life in the countryside.

Family farming in Brazil faces significant challenges regarding access to modern technologies, such as mechanisation and irrigation, which are more accessible to agribusiness. This disparity directly impacts the productivity and sustainability of family farming. The article aims to explore the economic and environmental benefits of irrigation automation for family farming, highlighting the importance of adapting this technology to local conditions and techniques already used by small producers. A multidisciplinary approach was used, combining literature review, data analysis, and the inclusion of a proposed irrigation automation board. Data were collected through interviews with agricultural producers and content analysis to identify patterns and research gaps. The proposed irrigation automation board proved efficient and accessible for small producers, allowing control of up to four distinct irrigation zones. The technology provided more precise and efficient irrigation, reducing costs and increasing productivity. Additionally, automation allowed farmers more time for other activities, improving their quality of life. Irrigation automation offers significant benefits for family farming, such as greater water efficiency, cost reduction, and increased productivity. However, it is essential to adapt this technology to local conditions and techniques already used by small producers. Public policies that encourage and value local production are essential to promote the sustainable development of family farming and reduce social inequalities

Changes in markets for lamb in livestock family farming in Brazil

Family farmers in Brazil could diversify their sources of income and improve agriculture practices by adopting circular economy principles on their farms. Closed-loop technological systems can be used to manage organic waste and produce fertiliser and biogas thereby generating revenue. Anaerobic Digestion (AD) is a proven technology that can produce digestate (i.e. fertiliser) and biogas from organic waste, although digestate application in soil and crops without treatment can have adverse effects. However, in practice, there is a lack of knowledge about the benefits of recycling organic waste in farming communities in Brazil. Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to provide conceptual design configurations of closed-loop systems that manage organic waste and generate revenue for small farms in Brazil. A literature review of selected technologies and interviews with Brazilian family farmers were used to inform the components of the proposed conceptual designs. The proposed designs are based on circular economy principles, incorporating AD, pyrolysis for biochar, hydroponics and vermifiltration in various configurations. A complete closed-loop system consisting of a 7.5 m3 digester, pyrolysis unit, a combined hydroponic and vermifilter unit and a shredder is estimated to cost around USD$1600 (R$ 6600). The flexibility of the proposed systems has the potential to increase resilience and income for small-scale farmers, whilst encouraging good practices for waste management. The conceptual designs can be used as a basis for further research and development of small-scale organic waste management solutions in Brazil.

This article analyses the phenomenon of pluriactivity in family farming in the south of Brazil, based on a research project funded by the Brazilian National Council for Research and Development. The methodology used compares farms whose families live exclusively from agriculture, with those whose social reproduction depends also on non-farm activities or who practise “pluriactivity”. On the question of ownership succession, we found that the phenomenon studied here does not alter traditional mechanisms of succession and inheritance on the family farm. The farms that are most under threat are those with the lowest incomes, whatever their situation in terms of pluriactivity; but the latter is not necessarily a feature of the economically weakest farms.

This article compares the main findings of Brazilian agricultural census data of 1996 with the same of 2006 by applying the methodology known as ‘FAO/INCRA’ (Food Agriculture Organization/Instituto Nacional de Colonização e Reforma Agrária) which allows the characterization of family farms in relation to the total universe of farms. In this comparison several variables are shown, including the share of family farming in the total value of production, in the total number of farms, utilization of modern technology and partial factor productivity. Census data shows that family farming has changed from 37.91 percent of total production value to 36.11 percent during a decade of strong expansion of agriculture as a whole, demonstrating the economic relevance of this segment which, besides producing food, is integrated in the most important productive agricultural chains of the Brazilian agribusiness. Family farming is a heterogeneous segment, with different sub-segments. During the studied period of ten years the most rich of these sub-segments (A) has increased participation in total production, while the poorer sub-segments (C and D) have only grown in absolute terms without a corresponding increase in production.

Brazil’s Agricultural Politics in Africa: More Food International and the Disputed Meanings of “Family Farming”

Dairy farming is an activity of great socioeconomic relevance for family farming in Brazil, but is still characterized by low productivity, low technology employed, and low remuneration. The objective of this article is to verify how the indicators of technological intensification were aligned with gains in productivity indicators based on an irrigated grazing system under intermittent stocking, in a typical family farm in the south region of the Espírito Santo state. The farm from which data were collected was conveniently selected for having been monitored for 42 months, a period when the technological transition in a production model was occurred. The intermittent stocking management in the irrigated tropical pasture, in a module of 0.86 ha of Mombaça grass, has led to an increase in animal productivity (from 16 to 23 animal units per hectare), labor (96 liters of milk per family farming labor per day), and land indicators (from 219 to 349 liters of milk per hectare per day), but the increase in the scale of production is a limiting factor for competitiveness in the present case study. The proposed intensification model can become a feasible option for the modernization of dairy farming in tropics.

The aim of the present study was to determine the seroprevalence of infection by the bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) on family farms, as well as to study the risk factors associated with the infection. In total, 319 blood serum samples were collected from cattle, of reproductive age (>24 months) in 24 herds from 11 cities of the brejo microregion in Pernambuco. The samples were subjected to the seroneutralization test to detect anti-BVDV antibodies. In order to identify the risk factors associated with the BVDV, a questionnaire epidemiologic was applied and followed by statistical analysis of logistic regression, with the serological test considered as the dependent variable (reagent or non-reagent). A prevalence of 51.1% (163/319; C.I. 45.5% - 56.7%) was found in the present study. Of the 24 herds sampled, 100.0% contained at least one reagent animal. The prevalence in the counties ranged from 23.1% to 70.0%. The following risk factors were identified in the present study: not providing colostrum (OR 3.85; p=0.018); disease unknown (OR 2.54; p=0.001) and consortium breeding (OR 1.76; p=0.013). Based on these results, it was clear that BVDV infection is widespread in herds on family farms in the microregion studied herein. Health education policies must be implemented for producers and professionals who provide technical assistance. In addition, based on the risk factors identified in the present study, hygiene-sanitary measures should be implemented in order to reduce the prevalence of the BVDV.

Brazil stands out from other developing countries by the fact that it created a wide-ranging institutional apparatus to stimulate production in the family farming sector, recognizing its identity and specific demands. Since the middle of the 1990s the Brazilian state has formulated and implemented various public policies for family farming, seeking to adapt these policies to the diversity of segments which exist within this social category. This article seeks to understand why Brazil formulated these policies. To answer these questions we: set an analytical framework based on extensive games theory; and present a narrative of the institutionalization of the National Program for the Strengthening of Family Farming (Programa Nacional de Fortalecimento da Agricultural Familiar), the first (and cornerstone) public policy for family farming in Brazil. It shows the role of contentious politics by the social movements, the significance of ideas to re-interpret the role of family farming, the time dependence of policy processes, and the importance of the challenge of creating new rules.