Análise do perfill dos agricultores, agricultoras e consumidores da feira da agricultura familiar no território do Médio Sertão Paraibano.

Abstract

Farming exists since the beginning of civilization and is characterized by the exploitation of natural resources in order to satisfy the needs of man for food and other products. Family farming in Brazil concentrates in the northeast region, and lacks public policy and technical assistance, which are the main factors held responsible for the low level of production of that activity and the poverty of the families dedicated to it. Agroecology is a way to practice farming based on social, economical and environmental sustainability. Those who practice family farming following agroecological principles have the commitment to offer healthy farm products. This study had the objective to characterize land size, family, products, family income and technical assistance received by practitioners of family farming based on agroecological principles, as well as costumer frequency to the Feira da Agricultura Familiar do Território do Médio Sertão Paraibano (Family Farming Fair of Medium Sertão Region of Paraíba), in Patos (PB), from March to December 2001, product preferences, and opinion regarding the quality of the fair. Data analysis revealed that farmers are organized in an association and produce a variety of products, women participate effectively, income increased for most of the farm families, and no technical assistance is available to them. Most of the costumers attend regularly the fair, and are satisfied with the fair and produce quality, although they show dissatisfaction on prices and irregularity of the items sold each week, as well as on the local and time of the day in which the fair tooks place.