Improving Livelihoods Through Strategic Partnerships and Agricultural Diversification: Helping Settled Workers Rebuild Their Lives

Abstract

This article aims to provide an overview of the challenges faced by settled workers in the Horto Bueno de Andrada, in Araraquara town, São Paulo state, regarding the integration processes to work in partnership with the agricultural industries of the sugarcane ethanol sector in that region. We initially dealt with the issue of authorization to the cultivation of sugar cane – described by many settlers, members of the management board, and the mills as a "partnership", which would represent an alternative for the "development" of the settlers – and we went through the process including matters relating to the progress in plantations, agreements, and their effects on the livelihoods within the
plots. While this approach emphasizes the economic characteristics of the
partnership and the consequent economic development within the community, it
foresees likewise further implications regarding the social, cultural, and
environmental aspects to the livelihood in the settlement, due to the project has
inevitably touched the lives of these people. We prioritize a methodology that
encompassed field investigation that was conducted through field visits. Data
was gathered during the visits and was recorded in research field diaries, also
including document analysis, and individual interviews. We adopted a methodology that enables the recovery of a very useful empirical material, which shows how these settled people have to handle experiences and take on new roles when dealing with alternative practices, and the problems faced by these workers to stay on the land, whilst applying diverse methods and strategies in an attempt to grow their agricultural business and improve their economic status.

Keywords: Rural Settlement; Qualitative Research; Agribusiness
Partnerships; Agricultural Diversification.