Desafios da fruticultura na agricultura familiar em Corumbataí do Sul – PR

Abstract

Fruit growing is an important agricultural activity that is present in all regions of Brazil and has sustainable development as its principles, as it is developed mainly on family farming properties and plays an important economic and social role, as it is a way of generating income and the permanence of man in the field. The aim of this work was to identify the challenges of fruit growing on rural family farming properties in the municipality of Corumbataí do Sul, state of Paraná. The research consisted of analyzing the physical and economic characteristics of the rural environment of the municipality of Corumbataí do Sul and identifying, together with fruit growers with production in the last 10 years, the main challenges of the activity in the municipality. The methodology applied in the work was descriptive exploratory research. As for technical procedures, the methods used were case studies with field research. The study was carried out in the municipality of Corumbataí do Sul, located in the central western mesoregion of Paraná. The primary source data, opinion, were collected through a questionnaire applied to fruit growers in April 2024, and the secondary data, already registered, from official websites, laws, scientific bibliography and in the reports of the Cooperativa Agroindustrial de Produtores de Corumbataí do Sul and Region - COAPROCOR. As results, data were presented that show the municipality's limitations in relation to agricultural production, mainly activities dependent on mechanization, due to the characteristics of its physical environment (relief and soil). Due to the limitation of its territory, fruit growing was an activity of great economic importance for the municipality, but in recent times its production and the number of fruit growers have fallen. The main current challenges cited by fruit growers were: the advancement of grain cultivation in the region, the incidence of diseases and pests, lack of labor and climate change. On the other hand, as advantages of fruit production, production in small areas, ease of marketing and quick financial return on the activity stood out.