Reflections on the author's works, but also including exploratory researches by other authors who have been investigating Brazilian farming subjects. Two major points are emphasized here, and along their route it is established a connection between them: the urban industrial ideology subject and its prejudices against the rural issue, which today is spreading, hampering the actions on social movements for agrarian reform; and the need to highlight the role of small rural property as a food...

Researches describe a divergence between a highly industrialized agriculture, of large scale, and an unconventional agriculture towards an ecologically more sustainable agriculture (organic, regenerative, ecoagriculture, permaculture, biodynamic, agro-ecology, natural, of extra-sectorial low-input, and so on). The purpose of this work is mapping and debates some critical question as to the environmental and productive agriculture extent, focusing the rural settlements, with no intention to...

This paper discuss the interactions among the objectives, the need for public policies, and the alternatives or probabilities of viability of settlementprojects for rural workers (PA's). It points out that such relations require both the state government support which is accomplished with the assignment of three main policies, as well as the need for associativism and co-operative proposals among the settled individuals. It states that these two realities would enable settlements to...

The strengths of this paper are articulated to the analysis' course of family agro-industrial projects in the contexts of rural settlements; given that the subject of our reflection is related to a latest thematic of investigation on Brazilian specialized literature about local sites assessment and agents' action ability which is presented within those processes to generate alternatives for economic, social, and environmental development. Such initiatives establish with great deal food...

It is debated the National Policy on The Technical Assistance and Agricultural Extension (PNATER) and the challenges of its function. Three key actions are emphasized: update the graduation courses curriculum including the Rural Extension (ER) discipline, adopting as a model the experience developed in the University of Brasilia (UnB); accomplish the established commitment to respect the country's plurality and the diversities in the social, economic, ethnic, cultural and environmental...

This paper deals with an assured structural background - the inclusion of the primary sector into the external macroeconomic context of the Brazilian economy, which identifies a conjunctural pressure on the food prices (2007-2008). Conjunctural changes in the agricultural markets, similar to those occurred in 2009, do not alter the structural condition of strong reliance on the primary sector concerning the attainment of the external balance (Current Account Balance of Installments). Once...

The broad objective of this research was to understand the difficulties experienced by organic family-producers of Associação Comunitária Rural Alvorada (ACRA), located in Americana town, in the commercialization of their products including issues regarding the certification and labelling process as: (a) the validity of products' certification; (b) the appropriate organic regulatory body; and (c) the profitability achieved by working independently when selling their farm origin products...

This work aims to analyze the productive system of an organic vegetables grower in Ilha Solteira town, in the State of São Paulo. This case is distinguished by two important contexts: first, the most general, is that consumers seek better quality as to the food consumption. Although, in small towns, as Ilha Solteira, it does not exist adequacy in the retail establishments, and hence there isn't a clearly defined demand for organic products consumption. Secondly, it is highlighted the...

The focus of this investigation is the food production to the familial alimentary consumption in Monte Alegre settlement, in the region of Araraquara, State of São Paulo. It has been discussed the social category of settled rural workers as from their origins and social fight paths, to help understanding how the reestablishment of the settled family farmer in the agrarian reform occurs. Therefore, it attempts to evaluate whether the settled individuals have produced their own provisions...

This text mentions the researches accomplished throughout the masters at UNESP – Universidade Estadual Paulista and doctoral at USP – Universidade de São Paulo in the settlements Bela Vista in Araraquara town, State of São Paulo, and Primavera and Tupaciretã in Pontal do Paranapanema region. Under this debate the purpose is to understand the production methods applied by settled people as an advantage of permanence in the land and their choice to work independently, that in certain occasions...

This paper will present an analysis on the transfer process of nonofficial knowledge, myths, folklore, beliefs, and attitudes within the settlements located in the region of Araraquara, attempting to debate the aspects of the daily life that mediate in the symbolic relationships of these people that make great efforts to recover their structure after a stage of internal conflicts generated by partnerships with agro industries. Through the statements from several actors, including children,...

In this text I attempt to think over the matter concerning the settled rural worker's education, taking into account socio-cultural characteristics and educational necessities of the land claimant in the state of São Paulo; the socialeducative practices in progress in the rural settlement areas whose workers are organized by MST - Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais sem Terra (Landless Agricultural Workers Movement) in Ribeirão Preto region; and also the experience on the Pedagogic Course for...

This paper analyzes what the land means to the settled farmproducers as well as their interpretation in light of its value. In a preliminary approach, this study seeks to identify the probable relation of this statement with their previous occupations and the production and commercialization strategies developed on the plots of land. This work is originated from a wider research that investigated the production and commercialization methods used by eight settled families in the region of...

This study tries to demonstrate the route of a group of people and their efforts towards a better quality of life, on the earliest beginnings of the fight for a plot of land. This paper aims to report the foundation process of PDS Comunidade Agrária 21 de Dezembro settlement in the Descalvado town, State of São Paulo, since the constitution of the first group and its journeys until the achievement of lands, and the consolidation of those families in the countryside. Thus, we look forward to...

The purpose of this case study is to analyze the foundation process of Mário Lago settlement as well as its social organization and production models. Data were collect from families under the employment of qualitative techniques of research (semi-structured interview), further the quantitative data gathered from the Instituto Nacional de Colonização e Reforma Agrária – INCRA (Colonization and Agrarian Reform National Institute). The settlement was established from a land occupation which...

This paper aims to present the insightful discussions and possible connections between patrimonial environment (management and education) and the rural settlements' places. Employing the information obtained from the completion of questionnaires, it was organized environment characterization indicators to subsidize reflections on the dimension (probable) of both management and education patrimonial processes. The debates focused by this work indicate the need to go over the main points of...

The purpose of this paper is to study the organization of production as well as the associativism in two settlements located in President Venceslau town, in the State of São Paulo, in Pontal do Paranapanema region. It is investigated the economic flow of Primavera and Tupanciretan settlements, considering the settled workers' productive performance. It attempts to analyze this variable in conjunction with the associativism, bearing in mind a strategy used by the settled individuals to fight...

This paper presents preliminary thoughts about a specific experience on the participatory research methodology developed together with a rural settled community located in Pontal do Paranapanema (in the State of São Paulo). The work is currently in progress, so that the DPR - Diagnóstico Rápido Participativo (Concise Results from a Participatory Research) methodology was applied to a group of settled people in the Primavera settlement (Associação Renascer de Produtores Rurais) and to another...

This article proposes a debate about women's role through their actions and voices, as an expression of refusal or acceptance of the established patterns. The integration between initiatives of farm diversification and conservation of settlements identity is ensured by the women and such matters will be discussed as from the tension scheme category, through which we have analyzed the problematical insertion of the settlements into distinct regional contexts. The paper restores previous...