Agricultura familiar no Nordeste: um estudo comparativo entre os Censos Agropecuários de 1996 e 2006

Abstract

Brazilian family agriculture, particularly as done in the Northeast, has been a viable alternative to production in rural areas in recent years. This way of production is not restricted to agriculture itself, but also includes the production of grains and fruits, animal breeding and the production of raw materials for the domestic and foreign markets as well. Besides the production of food and raw materials, this type of agricultural production exerts socioeconomic spillovers that generate jobs and income, contributing greatly for setting people in the countryside, preserving the environment - since it is a less damaging agriculture than the conventional type. This research aims to analyze the main indicators of Agricultural Units in northeastern Brazil during the Family Agricultural Censuses (1996 and 2006). The results show that during this period the Northeast in general showed some progress in most of these indicators with positive prospects for the dissemination of the next Agricultural Censuses.