Produção familiar no Piauí.

Abstract

We start from the hypothesis raised by Melo (1982) that the extensive growth model of the Northeastern agricultural economy based on the family production unit shows exhaustion trends to verify the depletion of family production in Piauí from 1970 to 1985, from the data from the agricultural censuses of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics Foundation for the period. We observed an increase in number of establishments, the aggregate area, the number of people employed, the quantities of temporary production, especially food, the use of animal and mechanical forces, and the use of machines. The average area per establishment remains approximately 10ha over the period, while the average area per person falls from 4.34ha to 3.5ha. The population density thus rises in the period. There were 29,909 new establishments that have front occupants. Most of the area aggregate, but they are from their own land. We then have the formation of a small number of production units with more extensive areas, which have their owners in front of the farm, and on the other hand a large number of tiny units whose managers are mainly occupants .. On the one hand numerous units lowercase, between 2 and 5ha, of the poor peasant, with insufficient land to get his livelihood. At the other extreme are the more than 50ha units of peasants who achieve some form of extended reproduction. Agriculture and livestock are the predominant activities, although there has been a great increase in livestock production, expressed by the increase in the number of livestock establishments, the increase in area, and what is more significant by the advance of 100% of planted pastures. The average area of ​​cattle ranching has dropped. This shows that middle-sized and even small-scale establishments have their main activity in cattle raising. The cattle raising occurred mainly with the increase of the herd of goats. The herd of cattle and the one that grows less The rate of evolution of the temporary crop was superior to the rate of growth of the employed personnel. Therefore the peasant Sub-Sector in Piauí, grew, densified, became technified, and capitalized. However, there are difficulties because the increase in the number of establishments and in the area did not keep up with the growth of their workforce, denoting land insufficiency aggregate.