Fruit-growing family farms in the municipalities of Itatiba, Louveira, Valinhos, and Vinhedo: socioeconomic and cultural aspects in the regional context of São Paulo, Brazil

Agricultura familiar productora de frutas en los municipios de Itatiba, Louveira, Valinhos y Vinhedo: aspectos socioeconómicos y culturales en el contexto regional paulista

Abstract

The article discusses the importance of family farming focused on the production of fruit, for the municipalities of Itatiba, Louveira, Valinhos, and Vinhedo (state of São Paulo, Brazil). In the rural areas of these municipalities it is possible to find small rural properties formed from the disintegration of large coffee farms. In these properties, family relationships predominate, with the presence of the cultural heritage coming from the tradition of immigrants who arrived and settled in this region of the state of São Paulo between the end of the 19^th century and the beginning of the 20^th century. The study seeks to understand the socioeconomic and cultural configuration of the analyzed municipalities by geographic and historical analyses. To this end, broad bibliographic research was carried out, in addition to field research to collect primary data and to consult databases, such as the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and the Department of Agriculture and Food Supply of the State of São Paulo to collect, analyze, and tabulate secondary data.

Keywords:
Fruit cultivation; Rural economy; Culture