The situation and challenges of small farmers in Brazil

It is estimated that 77% of agricultural establishments are family-run and, within this context, we can say that the majority of colorful foods that reach our tables come from this type of establishment. In general terms, it is correct to say that they are small properties whose owners are heads of families responsible for growing fruits and vegetables, widely known as hortifruti, and that often do not have enough structure to keep the business running and yielding average profits. Enough for the family's subsistence.

In Brazil, the 2006 agricultural census reveals that the total number of family farming establishments covered an area of ​​32% of the total production areas. In 2017, the percentage decreased and fell to 23%. There are several factors that can contribute to this decline, such as the difficulty in maintaining descendants in the same business, commercialization of production - which includes the logistics for transporting the product to purchasing centers and difficulty in understanding legal and customer requirements.

Small farmers are often characterized by family rural activities, and one of the difficulties in this context is keeping their descendants in the same business. This is an obstacle experienced by older farmers because they tend to work harder to maintain the best study conditions for their children. The scenario is very common for those who want to offer a more comfortable situation than that experienced by their parents. There are many times when we hear self-deprecating phrases from the producer.

We understand that the activity of agricultural production, mostly carried out by small farmers, should be a great source of pride, not only for the business owner but also for their children, as there are few activities more noble than feeding others.

Another important point is to demystify the marketing of products from family farming, which is normally done through intermediaries who carry out the operation and sell to large markets. Therefore, the small producer is hostage to a situation in which there is no empowerment to generate different commercial options. This necessarily generates conformity in relation to the situation and often a decision to not believe that the effort in the field can be rewarded.

In a country with continental dimensions and major problems in its routes, as well as high costs per kilometer driven, the flow of production is not always viable for small farmers and the market purchasing larger volumes is unable to receive the small ones, in fact not even reaching make any kind of approach to sell your lettuce, for example.

Other important issues are legal diplomas and comparator requirements. How can we meet internationally recognized certification requirements if around 20% of family farmers are still illiterate? There are many times when we hear from fruit and vegetable producers the phrase: "that way it's better to give up production anyway". It's not the case! As I highlighted previously, the work of small producers is still very important for our agriculture. It is necessary to guide them in a didactic way with tools that are accessible to their understanding.

Recently, Normative Instruction INC 02/2018 came into force, which is nothing more than a legal diploma created by Anvisa and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa), which deals with vegetable traceability. At no point did we think about the doubts that would arise and, therefore, the same question always remains, "how to comply with this new legislation?" There are countless companies showing paths and public bodies, sometimes bringing controversial information.

Most of the tools that help with traceability are incomplete for the rural producer, dealing only with identification through labels or are expensive and require dedicated personnel to complete them. In this scenario, there are companies that aim to serve small farmers and offer a tool that is accessible in terms of cost, complete for producer traceability and that allows the generation of data that can be automatically shared with the buyer, generating confidence in the product. and information for managing the entire production chain.