A produção do queijo artesanal como elemento de identidade local das produtoras e produtores associadas e associados a APROSUD

Abstract

The artisanal cheese production in Southwest Paraná today brings together past, present, and future. It keeps alive the culture and know-how of the European migrants who arrived in the region from 1930 onwards in search of a better life; it tells the story of the struggle of female and male producers for the survival of small family farming establishments in the face of the imposed market model; and it represents the future for new generations as they witness artisanal cheese production becoming a productive activity within the establishment. Thus, this research aims to study the artisanal cheese production in Southwest Paraná as an element of identity for the female and male producers associated with APROSUD, allowing us to: understand the challenges, opportunities, and transformations placed upon the activity in the face of its incorporation as a productive activity; characterize the people responsible for the production, the producing establishments, and the artisanal production linked to APROSUD; learn about the social movement and partner entities that form APROSUD in the struggle for the recognition and appreciation of artisanal cheese production in Southwest Paraná; and conduct analyses of the context surrounding artisanal cheese production in Southwest Paraná. This is a qualitative research, carried out through bibliographic analysis and the collection of primary and secondary data conducted with producers, representatives of the association, and partner entities. The analyses from field research show that a new chapter in the history of artisanal cheese production in Southwest Paraná is being written by many hands and has shown promise. However, re-signifying the activity urgently demands the professionalization of the management of artisanal agro-industries, the regulation of the activity, and public policies that promote the development and modernization of the sector. This re-signification must be grounded in the preservation of the knowledge and practices of the producers involved and in respect for their worldviews.