O novo rural paraibano: um estudo de caso sobre as ocupações rurais não agrícolas (ORNAs) em Aparecida-PB.

Abstract

The urbanization seen in the last two decades has changed the face of rural Brazil and taken to the countryside services and infra-structure which earlier belonged to the self learning and city dwellers space. Considering the historical and structural differences and the economical heterogeneity of each region what can be observed is that the rural Brazilian space cannot be defined from only the notion of rural as "locus" of traditional agricultural productive activities Surpassing the limits and in a greater or lesser degree, in various parts of the rural Brazil, the production of services(leisure, tourism, environmental protection etc) and of non agricultural properties are already a regular part of the habitants of the airal areas as the rural employments have shown specifications never seen before in other periods. In this respect the central problem is to understand how regions marked by such adverse climatic conditions and by under development as in the Northeast of Brazil and more precisely, in the municipality of Aparecida in the "sertão" of Paraiba , which could develop dynamics capable of generating non agricultural occupations , contributing in this manner to increase the family income of the rural people. To solve the questions brought up in this analysis, this study has as its main aim to emphasize the effective participation of non agricultural activities and the income, in the composition of the family income of the population of Aparecida , also emphasizing the rural aspects of the region. The methodology adopted , which enabled a better understanding of the reality studied, was bibliographical research and oral history followed by a field research , where through quantitative analysis it was possible to show that the non agricultural rural activities and the public transferences in the city are today the main sources responsible for the maintenance of the families in this area. These activities , linked above all to handwoven textiles of the region , are responsible in generating main points of jobs in the region and aren't given due value as the weavers work on their own and don't receive any incentives from either the government or the municipalilty, at the same time they are also subject to a monopoly set by the people of São Bento who are the main consumers of the lace work for hammocks manufactured in Aparecida.