Abstract:
The results of the 2017 Agricultural Census, released at the end of 2019 by IBGE, opened the debates about the characteristics and reasons for the absolute reduction of the contingent of family farmers in Brazil vis-à-vis the figures presented in 2006. That said, this article aims to be part of this discussion and to contribute to it from the use of microdata from the National Household Sample Survey - PNAD (from 2006 to 2015) to assess the evolution of the number of producers belonging to family farming in the country. The results of the research revealed that pluriactivity has become, due to the application of the updated criteria of the Family Agriculture Law of 2006, a potential element to prevent a significant part of self-employed families from being classified as family farmers, which contributes to reducing the number of this segment of farmers in official statistics. In turn, alongside family farming that sells part of its production, the work shows that a growing portion of the category is dedicated to productive activities for its consumption, requiring public policies for productive inclusion and rural development.
Keywords:
family farming; self-consumption; pluriactivity; rural families