Rural development and the expansion of non‑agricultural activities in the Brazilian Amazon

Francisco Diétima Da Silva Bezerra,Carlos Alves Do Nascimento,Alexandre Gori Maia

doi:10.1590/1806-9479.2021.231355

Abstract

Abstract This paper analyzes the employment and income dynamics of rural families in Brazil's North Region, the main representative of the Brazilian Amazon. We use information from the National Household Sample Survey between 2004 and 2015 to create a typology of families based on the members' occupation in agricultural and non-agricultural activities. We hypothesize that the recent increase in employment and income was strongly associated with non-agricultural activities, reproducing the dynamics observed in other developing countries and Brazil's more developed regions. The results highlight that, differently from the rural exodus observed in the other regions of the country, the number of rural households increased in the North Region, attracted by the expanding non-agricultural occupations. As a result, the importance of earnings from non-agricultural activities and non-labor (pensions, cash transfers, among others) to family income has increased considerably, especially among self-employed family farmers. The final discussion highlights the relevance of non-agricultural activities for public policies to increase income in less developed rural areas.

Highlights

The Brazilian rural has undergone profound transformations that have modified the existing productive structure and social relations
We review the literature on the multi-activity dynamics in rural areas, emphasizing rural development beyond its agricultural dimension
The Brazilian North Region is characterized by a great socio-economic diversity, which reflects the dynamics of its rural population

Summary

Introduction

The Brazilian rural has undergone profound transformations that have modified the existing productive structure and social relations. The increasing participation of non-agricultural occupations on rural employment and income reflects some of these changes. Families have become more dependent on activities not associated with agriculture, illustrating what Rural development and the expansion of non-agricultural activities in the Brazilian Amazon was conventionally called the “new rural” in Brazil. In the European Union (EU), the adoption of administered prices policy and the community preference principle for the member states’ production ensured the permanence of a significant portion of the rural population in agricultural activities and, at the same time, the access to other income sources as non-agricultural work (Sacco dos Anjos, 2003; Nascimento, 2008)

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