This paper aims to identify how the social individuals linked to family agriculture (leadership of familiar producers, professionals of agrarian sciences, town authorities, researchers and university professors) play the role of the State for the development of this category in the South Region of Minas Gerais. ln relation to the data collection, the technique called "focused interview" was used. The interviewees wcre selected by the non probabilistic sampling by judgement method. The results revealed that the interpretation done by the interviewees is closest to the patrimonialistic, bureaucratic and authoritative State's perspective, as the statements suggest a bigger State's intervention. On the other side, some individuals recognize the necessity of the mechanisms that encourage social participation, although mentioning that the familiar producers' mobilization in the region is still incipient and inarticulate.
familiar agriculture; State; rural development; interpretative analysis