Agricultura e meio ambiente: agricultura familiar e reserva florestal legal em Palotina, Paraná

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to analyze how family agriculture has reproduced itself in the town of Palotina, located on the west of Parana state, and evaluate the existing relation between the environmental legislation performance developed for the agriculture and cattle raising sectors, more specifically to this category, and the performed use of their productive farming space. In order to do that, a debate about the genesis of family agriculture in Brazil, which finds on peasantry the basis of its origin, was brought up. Such debate will lead towards the plural activities developed by this category. Still characterizing family agriculture, the proposal for national agriculture modernization, which had its launching on the 1960 s, appears as a striking element of the changes occurred on agricultural and agrarian units, leading this category to search its own reproduction logic, process started on the 1980 s. This way, the transition from peasant agriculture to family agriculture is conducted in such way to display the transformations occurred facing the national agriculture and cattle raising conjuncture. The description of the spatial cutout chosen for the research, which refers to social, economic, cultural and environmental criteria, makes it a striking tool for acknowledging the way familiar agriculture has reproduced in Palotina. Therefore, the category denominated as modern familiar agriculture was identified and dimensioned on this context, as well as the importance it assumes on the national agricultural and cattle raising scenery and its expression on the market economy as well as on sustainable development. Parallel to this analysis, a field research was made focusing on the implications of the actual environmental legislation that regulates the rural setting exploration in Palotina, more specifically concerning legal reserve and the social function of the rural property. From that point, the possibilities of developing models of agriculture and cattle raising production appropriated to the environment and paired up with an ecologic educational proposal such as strategies for environment protection, harmonizing environment development and sustainability.