Agência Sebrae*
Goiânia – The midwestern Brazilian state of Goiás, according to the Secretariat of Planning and Development (Seplan), occupies the first position in the national production of sorghum, the second in cotton, the fourth in soy and the fifth in beans. The state is also the second main producer of milk, owning the fourth largest herd in Brazil, with 20 million heads, and answers to 4% of the national food production, accumulating successive trade balance surpluses.
Attuned to this socio-economical development process, the Goiás state Sebrae is paying special attention to the sector. In the action plan for the next three years, of the 44 projects that use the Strategic Guidance Methodology Turned to Results (Geor), 16 are connected to agribusiness.
In these projects, from 2008 to 2010, the Sebrae should invest 12.6 million Brazilian reals (US$ 7.4 million) and its institutional partners another 10.7 million reals (US$ 6.3 million), totalling investment of 23.4 million reals (US$ 13.7 million) in training, guidance and market access, among other actions selected by members of the projects.
Most of these associations focus on projects turned to family farming and small farms. According to the National Program of Family Farming (Pronaf), this kind of farming is developed in over 4.1 million establishments, the equivalent to 84% of rural real estate in the country.
Of every ten workers in the country, around eight are occupied in family activities and almost 40% of the Bulk Value of Agricultural Production comes from family farming. The sector is also an important factor for the generation of jobs and income in the country, as well as being a tool to maintain the population occupied in the rural area.
When expanded, made possible and strengthened, family farming is also capable of heating up the economy of small cities. The investment necessary to create a job in industry, for example, is around 40,000 reals (US$ 23,400), in trade this value rises to 60,000 reals (US$ 35,000), and in services, 75,000 reals (US$ 44,000). In family farming, the average cost per position is just 775 reals (US$ 454).
*Translated by Mark Ament