A agricultura nos assentamentos rurais no Ceará: qual o tipo de exploração? O caso Lagoa Verde

Abstract

This study tries to identify the type of agriculture being tried in the Lagoa Verde Settlement in Ceará. With this end in view, the conditions for production were characterized, the history of the families in the Settlement was described, likewise the social infra structure, the level of participation in the community, as well as the means of production. For the tipification and characterization of the systems of agricultural production, an analysis of multiple correspondence was used to establish all possible correlations between the families in the Settlement and the selected variables, followed by an analysis of the cluster by Ward's method, to classify the types of systems of agricultural production. The existing work force in the Settlement was described as well as the reasoning of those in the there. The agricultural productivity was assessed, using not only the production 1n relation to the area used but also in relation to the area occupied. In the economic assessment descriptions were made of the incomes in the agricultural systems of production, composition and the distribution of income, in work productivity and in remuneration for work. In the social assessment of those in the Settlement the results of the incomes were compared to the basic basket and the minimum income, besides determining the index of economic poverty and the proportion of those in the Settlement described as economically poor and destitute. Finally, the characteristics of the agriculture cultivated in the Settlement was compared to the characteristics of the various types of agriculture, patronage and family, and the type of agriculture in the Lagoa Verde Settlement was identified. The results showed four types of systems of agricultural production, which differs according to the work force, the types of agricultural exploitation adopted, and the levels of technology used for market integration. It was also noted that these systems are developed in precarious technological, ecological, economical and social conditions, something which classifies the people in the Settlement as being im a state of exclusion. By way of conclusion, it may be said that the agriculture farmed in the Lagoa Verde Settlement is of a type done | by peasant families verified by the fact that these systems of production use policulture and livestock, use very simple techniques, show small production, generally work for their own consumption. The work is done mainly by the family, with those in the Settlement being at the same time the work force, the decision makers, with religious, customs and thinking processes of their own. They are tied to the land and plan out their future strategies thinking only of their families. The research indicated the need for a greater study of rural settlements in the State to understand better the complexities and diversity of agricultural exploitation, with the intention of formulating public policies and government intervention 1n rural space.