The dynamics of family farming in the Jequitinhonha Valley of Minas Gerais and contemporary aspects: an analysis of the 2006 and 2017 Agricultural Censuses

Abstract

This article analyzes characteristics and changes in family farming in the Jequitinhonha Valley in the first decades of the 21st century, having as parameters the relationship of this group with the rural economy of the region and its reproduction strategies over the period, observing aspects of the contemporary rural area in the region. For this, it is used the conciliation of information collected in the bibliographic research and in the census data. The results point to a relative decrease in the number of family farming establishments, accompanied by a great diversity of strategies for obtaining livelihoods, marked by the production, self-consumption and sale of food products, as well as collective strategies of occupation and access to programs. public. We can also see a decrease in the share of income from vegetable production and an increase in the share of rural retirement in the income portfolio of families.

Keywords:
Jequitinhonha Valley; Census of Agriculture; family farming; livelihood