Family farming and sustainable rural development

Abstract

The struggle for a fair distribution of land consolidated social movements and put pressure on the Brazilian government to carry out agrarian reform. The government allocated rural workers to the settlements and created programs to strengthen family farming. The global concern with the sustainability of the planet has led scholars to think that family farming is an alternative for the reduction of poverty and for the preservation of the environment. Based on this principle, the objective of this study was to analyze whether family farming used in the family units of the Joana Darc III settlement in Rondônia contributes to sustainable development. Materials and methods: The research is characterized as descriptive and a case study. We use an instrument developed by Anjos17, semi-structured, divided into 6 blocks: Identification of the profile of farmers; Characterization of the production unit; Characterization of crop production; Production commercialization; Financing and infrastructure and, Life conditions. The sample granted for accessibility was a group formed by 30 (26.3%) rural farmers from the Joana Darc III settlement who cultivate different crops, harvested from a population of 114 farmers. For the sample size, the systematic sampling formula presented by Barbetta26 was used. The research project considers the ethical aspect and is in accordance with CNS Resolution 196/96. Results: The results showed that the settlers received financing from Pronaf for investments in increasing production and technical assistance from EMATER. However, the production system adopted is traditional, with the use of pesticides in crops and the use of pesticides in animals and they practice burning to clean the land. This practice goes against the principles of clean agriculture, which aims to preserve the environment. It was also found that the settled farmers sell their products below the market price, reducing their profit margin. However, all were unanimous in ensuring that they would have better living conditions compared to the life before the settlement and believe in improvements in the future. Conclusions: It was rejected the hypothesis that family farming used in the family units of the Joana Darc III settlement in Rondônia contributes to sustainable development.