In addition to the comments summarized herein, regarding the difficulties in understanding scientific phenomena by the human mind (epistemological obstacles), this paper presents and proposes a methodological framework for transdisciplinarity and reflectivity as an interactive method through critical reflection to be used as an antidote against prejudice and a lack of transparency of researcher that are often seen as impeding proper understanding of the true, specifically in the human...

This article focuses on the methodology applied to the investigation of food handling practices and consumption, which was used for Masters Research program in the settlement Monte Alegre, in the region of Araraquara, SP. The self-sufficiency ratio of domestic production to consumption is closely linked to the social reproduction of settled family farms, but its assessment goes beyond the economic dimension and also there are plenty of invisibilities. Therefore, we have carried out a...

This paper aims to systematize and present some results of a research accomplished through the master's dissertation, which was designed to investigate the establishment of the dwelling place for rural families, in the context of Agrarian Reform settlement. The dwelling place, where the community is seen as the locus of development within the dynamics of family life, includes also the house and its surroundings as well as the patio, backyard, vegetable garden, and the "orchard". This work...

This article describes the reflections and experiences of recent research carried out in rural settlements in Mato Grosso do Sul State. Interviews were conducted through the dialectical process, also including observations and forms fulfillment, specifically designed for women, because they play a very important role in the community. Our work has endeavored to elucidate how these women build and rebuild strategies of resistance and strengthen their own identities through memory work....

This article is a section of a survey conducted in two rural settlements in Pontal do Paranapanema region. In view of the extent and importance of the topic, we understand that there is a pressing need for more research addressing questions of gender within the existing body of research engaged with rural settlement issues throughout the country, endeavoring their implementation into academic world in order to contribute to a better understanding of the social realities of these new spaces...

This paper describes the work of Sempreviva Organização Feminista – SOF in partnership with Assessoria Especial de Gênero, Raça e Etnia – AEGRE of the Ministry of Agrarian Development – MDA, and rural women in the Territories of Citizenship in Pontal do Paranapanema and Southwest Sao Paulo, during the period June 2009 to March 2011. This article offers some reflections on gender inequalities in rural areas, the sexual division of labor and, consequently, the invisibility of rural women's...

This paper examines the implications of public policies for the young people in the Bela Vista do Chibarro settlement, located in Araraquara town, Sao Paulo State, where, until these days INCRA has formally settled 223 families. In this paper we present a case study evaluation, where, most of the youth in the settlement migrate to the city due to their demand for autonomy since government is needed to offer prospects enforcing labor legislation for rural workers to ensure and establish...

Our purpose in this paper is to show the results obtained from the studies and available data in the Rural Settlements and Development Project: tensions, blockades, and scenarios [a comparative analysis of two areas within the state of São Paulo (2007-2010)], related to the sociability axis, particularly in the settlements of Araraquara. In this Project we seek to investigate the profiling of the settlers community through the use of questionnaires which were completed by approximately 20%...

This text summarizes the contents of the Graduate Level Research Paper, which will be presented in August, 2011 as a major UFSCar graduation requirement in Land Use Pedagogy. The main purpose of this study was to investigate and gather information seeking to recover and record them through the reconstruction of the trajectory of a group of families during their struggle for a plot of land, since 1999 when they first occupied the land until they were in fact recognized by INCRA as settled...

This paper aimed at the analysis of the terms and conditions of a Mediation Agreement involving the ITESP Foundation, a third-party mediator, and a partnership between sugar mill and rural workers settled in the Horto de Bueno de Andrada settlement, for sugarcane supply. This investigation involved a careful examination of documents and dialogues held with settled workers, which are recorded in field diaries. The Itesp, legitimate owner of the land within the settlement areas, an implied...

The main objective of this research is to evaluate the production system in Córrego Rico state settlement project, located in Jaboticabal town within the area encompassed by Ribeirão Preto, a city in the countryside in Sao Paulo State characterized by ethanol production. The settlement originated with the occupation of the Horto Florestal in Córrego Rico (a tree farm), in May, 1998, when nearly 50 families of landless rural workers, led by Feraesp (a rural worker trade union), occupied the...

This paper aims to examine the milk production in agrarian reform settlements, analyzing operations within agent organization at milk production premises. Our empirical research studies encompass two settlements located in Presidente Wenceslau town (SP), in the region of Pontal do Paranapanema. These two settlements have very distinctive  markings and outstanding milk production. We evaluated the whole milk supply chain through settlement, checking and verifying the livestock handling, sales...

The discussion reported in this paper is based on two extensive surveys conducted in the region. The first survey was carried out from 2004 to 2006 and focused on the study of producers' expertise and experience in farming and marketing. Altogether 169 participant producers shared their experience that have contributed to the progress of these settled families towards achieving their goals, either through an increase in income or the evolution of other factors, which in the households'...

The process of globalization is considered to be directly related to poverty and environmental degradation, especially in Latin America. The internationalization of capital has been closely associated with globalization and despite the fact that the slogan "Think globally, act locally" has been coined for the marketing world, at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro (ECO-1992) the use of the slogan has become more widely known in the formulation of Agenda 21, as an instrument for...

This paper provides an assessment of the management of INCRA/ SP during the period 2003-2010. The institutional challenges were also debated as an opportunity for INCRA to renew its commitment to work closely with rural workers from different areas in São Paulo State, and from the rural settled people perspective, this initiative should improve its performance. Moreover, the main strategies and action plans implemented by INCRA, new forms of integration into the global economy with the...