Status of the family Farming Economic and knowledge Potential from a Sustainable Rural Development Perspective

Abstract

Technological innovations in agriculture have contributed to the increased production of food in order to meet an ever-increasing demand for agricultural products. On the other hand, agricultural modernization ended up being discriminatory because socio-cultural factors and the knowledge repertoires of rural populations have been neglected, this being caused by the homogenization of agricultural activities. With the recognition of the social-environmental problems caused by the technical paradigm of the Green Revolution, family farming is increasingly taking a prominent place in food production as well as its cultural heritage and knowledge of sustainable practices, necessary to restore the harmonious relationship between man and nature. The following question was raised as a research issue: What is the status of family farming in the literature and empirical research in relation to economic and knowledge potential in the context of sustainable rural development? In this sense, the objective was to identify the economic and knowledge potential of family farmers with a view to sustainable rural development. This is a case study involving 30 properties of family farmers, where interviews and observation on site were conducted. As a result, it was identified that in the socioeconomic factors the predominant status is negative, placing family farming in a critical situation in relation to its continuity, and the category of economic potential and knowledge has a predominant positive status. The maintenance of traditional knowledge transmitted from generation to generation contributes to this situation, however, it requires a greater interaction with technical-scientific knowledge in order to add value to economic activities.