The family farms of Southern Brazil

a comparative study of rural credit contracting

Abstract

Different studies have highlighted that family farmers in the southern part of the country are responsible for contracting large amounts of rural credit that would, in turn, be equitably distributed among contractors in the region. This article, based on the analysis of data on the socioeconomic profile and the dynamics of rural credit contracting, counters this conception with the argument that the South is not homogeneous, nor is there an equitable distribution of the credit contracted. On the contrary, the findings show that there are distinct family farms, consolidated and in the process of consolidation, which are socially and economically conditioned by the regional context where they are located and by the relationship they establish with other farmer profiles.