Family Farming

Goals such as the pursuit of positive balances in the country's trade balance, which receives a strong contribution from agricultural exports, may even overshadow the importance of Family Farming within the productive economic landscape. However, we must not forget its fundamental role in Brazil's food supply, contributing to income generation, inflation control and improvement in the sustainability level of agricultural activities.

In terms of food supply, Family Farming stands out for growing a variety of crops that, despite their small scale, are distinguished by their quality and by their highly distributed nature. Its geographic dispersion brings it closer to consumers, favoring mainly the communities farthest from large cities and, consequently, from large distribution centers.

Characterized by small properties, the number of people who benefit from the financial results is also a distinguishing feature, which makes it possible to generate income in regions far from industrialized centers, even offering an alternative for keeping people in the countryside.

Because it is predominantly based on polyculture, that is, the production and supply of varied products, and because of its proximity to the consumer, family production may be less prone to influences, mainly external ones, in the formation of its prices, thus contributing to their stabilization and, therefore, to inflation control.

On the environmental front, which is gaining more and more prominence, Family Farming also stands out for adopting more environmentally sustainable practices, mainly because of its small-scale production and because it avoids the risks posed by the monocultures of large properties. Added to this are the incentives for producing organic foods or foods obtained through agroecology, which give Family Farming products a competitive edge in the pursuit of quality and social and environmental responsibility.

The 2006 Census conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE, 2006) presents significant figures related to national Family Farming:

• Of the approximately 5.1 million agricultural establishments in the country, more than 4.3 are characterized as family farmers, representing 84% of the total;

Chart prepared by CoDAF

• Of the 16.5 million people engaged in some type of rural activity, 12.3 million are related in some way to Family Farming, making up 74% of the total;

Chart prepared by CoDAF

• Of the 143.3 billion reais generated by the national agricultural sector, 54.3 billion come from Family Farming, reaching 38% of the total;

Chart prepared by CoDAF

• The area occupied by family farmers amounts to 80.2 million hectares, which represents 24.3% of the total land on which agricultural establishments are located in the country.

Chart prepared by CoDAF

The share of Family Farming in the production of cassava (87%), beans (70%), pork (59%), milk (58%), poultry (50%) and corn (46%) reinforces its importance in the Brazilian agricultural landscape.

The figures above point to a concentration in land ownership, where 15.6% of all non-family establishments occupy 75.7% of all the land, using an average area of 309.18 ha for production, compared with the 18.37 ha allotted to family properties.

Thus, the relevant position held by Family Farming stands out even more, even though it lacks the visibility that production based on large-scale models has, especially those aimed at export. The work done within family enterprises is the guarantee of a domestic supply aligned with the population's food needs, creating an environment conducive to reducing hunger and to development and well-being in the countryside.

Source: 2006 Agricultural Census. Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). Available at: <http://biblioteca.ibge.gov.br/visualizacao/periodicos/51/agro_2006.pdf>.

These are some of the agencies related to the Family Farming segment; on their respective portals you can find information on public policies and economic data.

Ministry of Agriculture: http://www.agricultura.gov.br/

São Paulo Department of Agriculture and Supply: http://www.agricultura.sp.gov.br/

National Society of Agriculture: http://sna.agr.br/

Special Secretariat for Family Farming and Agrarian Development: http://portal.mda.gov.br/portal/

Ministry of Social Development and Fight Against Hunger: http://www.mds.gov.br/

Institute of Agricultural Economics: http://www.iea.sp.gov.br/