Questões agrárias: agricultura familiar, acesso à terra e produção para autoconsumo

Abstract

Land is the main means of keeping farmers in the countryside and, consequently, making family farming viable. It allows them access to food in quantity and quality so that they can maintain themselves in this space without necessarily having a constant monetary income. This article analyzes access to land and self-consumption production in a rural settlement in the municipality of Jequitinhonha, MG. The research began with a bibliographical study, followed by field research, interviewing the 57 settled families. The results showed that the region was populated in an expansive and conflictual manner. It was concluded that access to land was fundamental for the families to produce healthy and varied food, but that due to the lack of water at certain times of the year they are unable to produce in large quantities, having to adjust to selling surpluses at the market to buy other products.