As transformações da agricultura familiar do Município de Silvânia: uma pequena revolução agrícola nos Cerrados brasileiros

Resumo

Durante mais de 10 anos, entre 1985 e 1998, os pesquisadores de um projeto de pesquisa/desenvolvimento franco-brasileiro (Cirad/Embrapa) puderam observar e participar de uma minirrevolução agrícola no Município de Silvânia, GO, Brasil. Este artigo, baseado numa síntese dos trabalhos conduzidos no âmbito desse projeto, apresenta os principais fatores que explicam esse caso de sucesso. No começo do período considerado, num ambiente econômico hiperinflacionário desfavorável, as propriedades familiares do município eram essencialmente voltadas à subsistência, conduzindo atividades bastante diversificadas. Mais tarde, com o fim da hiperinflação, as propriedades começaram a se dedicar à especialização leiteira, graças a uma rápida adoção de novas tecnologias. A despeito de um contexto pouco favorável, as instituições montadas pelos agricultores (como associações e cooperativas) conseguiram superar os obstáculos. Este artigo mostra a influência dos contextos econômico e institucional no desenvolvimento rural. Ressalta, igualmente, a extraordinária capacidade de evolução das propriedades familiares, capacidade essa que deveria servir como pressuposto em projetos de desenvolvimento ou em intervenções em geral, os quais freqüentemente são orientados para o assistencialismo ou a redução da pobreza.

Termos para indexação: agricultura familiar, Brasil, intensificação, associações de produtores.

Changes in small-scale farms of Silvânia: a small agrarian revolution in the brazilian cerrados
ABSTRACT

In Brazil, as in most developing countries, small-scale farms are often ignored by research, agriculture policies benefiting capitalist farms more often than not. The latter are seen as symbols of modernity and thus are assumed to deserve support from the State, whereas small-scale farms are only addressed by policies of poverty reduction. This position is based on a negation of the economic efficiency of small-scale farms. The present paper intends to question this assertion. For more than a decade a joint Embrapa/Cirad project (Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement, Cirad/Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Embrapa) observed, and contributed to, an agrarian revolution that took place in small-scale farms of Silvânia. Silvânia is a rural district, in the cerrados region of central Brazil. Numerous multi-disciplinary (agronomy, soil science, economy, sociology…) and multi-scale studies (at field, farm, region levels, and through institution analysis) were performed within the framework of this R/D project. As a synthesis of these, the present article highlights the main factors explaining this "success story". At the beginning of the development process, these farms were carrying out highly diversified activities and were poorly integrated to the market. This was a consistent strategy given their extremely unfavourable environment. They were located on very poor soils, and had to cope with hyperinflation. At the beginning of the 1990s, land divisions between children led to reduced farm areas. While hyperinflation reached an end and although markets were apparently not so attractive due to an increasing input/output price ratio, farmers entered into a drastic evolution towards intensive, market-oriented dairy farms. Within the space of a few years, they adopted technologies that are not usually expected to be easily harnessed by poor farmers excluded from information and education networks: soil reclamation, animal genetic improvement, fodder production, artificial pastures. A simple economic modelling of the different farm systems showed that, without these technical changes, farms would have faced a decreasing income per worker. These technical changes were made possible thanks to the collective action of farmers: building associations, they obtained credit from the State and reduced the transaction costs for commercialising their products and buying their inputs. The analysis showed that thanks to these changes, most of the farms could actually increase the income per worker. Beyond this case study, the paper suggests that the tremendous capacity of evolution observed at Silvânia is a general feature of family farms which should not be ignored, when designing rural development policies.

Index terms: family farming, Brazil, intensification, farmers'associations.

Les transformations de l'agriculture familiale de la commune de Silvânia: une petite révolution agricole dans les cerrados brésiliens
RÉSUMÉ

Durant plus de dix ans, de 1985 à 1998, les chercheurs d'un projet de recherche/développement franco-brésilien (Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement, Cirad/Empresa brasileira de pesquisa agropecuária, Embrapa) ont pu observer et participer à une mini-révolution agricole dans la commune de Silvânia au Brésil. Partant d'une synthèse des travaux menés dans le cadre de ce projet, cet article présente les principaux facteurs permettant d'expliquer cette success story. Au début de la période considérée, dans un environnement économique hyperinflationniste, les exploitations familiales de la commune mènent des activités hautement diversifiées et sont peu intégrées au marché. Puis, alors que l'hyperinflation prend fin, les exploitations s'engagent dans une spécialisation laitière à travers l'adoption rapide de nouvelles techniques, cela malgré un contexte économique qui reste peu favorable mais que les institutions mises en place par les acteurs locaux (associations, coopératives) permettent de surmonter. Cet article montre le poids du contexte économique et institutionnel dans le développement rural. Il souligne également l'extraordinaire capacité d'évolution des exploitations familiales. Cette capacité devrait être valorisée et encouragée par les projets de développement et les interventions de réduction de la pauvreté.

Termes d'indexation: agriculture familiale, Brésil, associations de producteurs.