SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITIONS OF PRONAF B FAMILY FARMERS IN THE NORTHEAST REGION: AN ANALYSIS BASED ON THE 2017 AGRICULTURAL CENSUS

Abstract

The present study aimed to analyze the recent situation of family farming in the Northeast, specifically regarding the socioeconomic characteristics of the farmers who comprise Group B of the National Program for Strengthening Family Agriculture (Pronaf), considered the most impoverished farmers. Data from the 2017 Agricultural Census was used through descriptive analyses exposed through tables, graphs, and maps. The results show that family farmers in Group B represented 89.30% of Pronaf beneficiaries and 89.22% of family farms in the Northeast in 2017. In general, the socioeconomic condition of these farmers is fragile due to the lack of productive resources, mainly relating to access to land, education, technical assistance, and appropriate technologies. This means that the income obtained by agricultural establishments is insufficient to support the family, making them dependent on other sources of income, especially income from retirement or pensions and government programs. Thus, most of the income obtained is not generated within the establishments, the main purpose of the production of these farmers being the families' self-consumption.