Autossustento e agricultura familiar: um estudo sobre as dinâmicas socioespaciais no P.A Santa Helena – Buritizeiro, MG

Abstract

The research project called “Self-support and family farming: A study on socio-spatial dynamics in PA Santa Helena - Buritizeiro, MG” is the result of a study in the Master in Territory Management, area of concentration of the Postgraduate Program in Geography of the State University of Montes Claros - PPGEO. The research proposal, now presented, addresses two important issues. The first includes the multidimensional study of agriculture and the second, the existing relations between agriculture and the community in the search for “self-support”, our object of study. The concept that we build and defend is that the families residing in the referred Settlement Project practice “self-supporting agriculture” - a premise assumed in this work as an act in which the families of the Santa Helena Community, Buritizeiro, Northern Minas Gerais, enjoy guaranteeing food security and quality of life for its members. Formed in 1996, the Santa Helena community, is constituted of a peculiar activity in agriculture, is a producer, mainly of the necessary resources for self-support. Thus, some questions are pertinent, considering the impact of this economic activity on this community. How is family farming organized in P.A Santa Helena, in the municipality of Buritizeiro MG? Are families residing in P.A Santa Helena able to produce for self-support? Is there an adequate infrastructure in the settlement for the transportation and logistics of cargo and people? What are the public policies that promote family farming in P.A Santa Helena so that there is perpetuation of generations in this location? What is the perception of the settlers in relation to belonging to the Santa Helena Community? This research sought to answer such questions. The general objective is to understand the rural aspects of the Santa Helena Community, considering its history and its relationship with the land, addressing the self-support paradigms in that community. The justification reveals whether, because agriculture is the oldest economic activity in society, that is why it is fundamental for the maintenance of life on Earth. The understanding of this theme makes it possible to glimpse other nuances of the rural area, giving visibility to both the political and scientific debate. In addition, it provides the Government with useful tools to better understand the demands that unfold in this process. The basic methodology includes bibliographic and documentary review, application of a semi-structured questionnaire to a sample of 22 families. Field campaigns were also carried out to obtain information related to the history of the settlement project. This approach made it possible to draw a profile of the community, identifying its specificities, as well as, knowing its productive characteristics. Place is the category that, we chose to approach to understand the socio-spatial dynamics of this territory, since its residents have “perennial” ties with the locality developing topophilia, that is, love for the place. This confirms the intrinsic relationship between PA and the feeling of belonging of those involved in this activity, showing that the small rural producer does not see the soil only as an object, but as part of his own experience and locus of learning and identity construction. Thus, it is worth mentioning that P.A Santa Helena was identified as an example from the perspective of self-support, since the families who live there, as observed in this research, are able to remain in the field with autonomy, food security and quality of life.