Family and non-family rural agro-industries: a comparative analysis

Abstract

Recently, innumerable alterations have been observed in rural areas, such as the introduction of new technologies, agro-industrial integration and valuing of these areas as living and leisure places, having delicious and healthy products. In the wake of these transformations, some farmers have begun to realize that there are new possibilities of generating income. One of these opportunities has arisen through the development of agro-industrial production as a typical activity of family agriculture. By an interest in this subject, this article aims to verify if there are distinctions, and what are the distinctions between rural agro-industries of family and non-family agriculture, to the level of Brazil. Initially, rural agro-industries that are heterogeneous among them have been highlighted, being difficult to make inferences on aggregated data. However, the separation of data between agro-industries of family agriculture (FA) and non-family agriculture (NFA) has already made possible a cutout. Based on this assumption, some variables were selected from the Agricultural Census of 2006 to infer on eight products from the rural agro-industry. This way, through these data and variables, it was possible to identify that the rural agro-industry is more numerous in family establishments, as well as its total production coming mainly from it, with the exception of two products which production, between FA and NFA, is basically equivalent. Through the variable scale of production for the six analyzed products, it was possible to verify that they were above in NFA, and two in FA. The NFA is also highlighted with acquired raw material and commercialization in a greater proportion. In addition, commercialization channels are practically identical, with some exception, as long as the FA sells more to the final consumer and NFA to intermediate consumers. The conclusion have indicated that the distinctions between these two types of agro-industries are strongly connected to the logistics that manage them, once, in the majority of the proprieties of NFA, there is specialization and diversity in FA, what generates, consequently, distinct manners of operating in their agroindustries.