Agricultura e gênero: a categoria feminina na sucessão rural

Abstract

Selective rural succession has become an object of study in recent years. The processes of masculinization and aging of the rural population occur, among other factors, from the modernization and entry of agricultural technology, which replaced the labor force by reducing the number of people needed to run a production unit, and consequently, part of this labor ends up being directed to non-agricultural activities or displaced to urban centers. Women permanence in rural environment is fundamental to family structuring and has gained prominence with the importance recognition of family farming, which is a production model that usually uses its own labor force. It was sought to understand the reasons why women are staying or opting for the exit of the rural communities of the municipality of São Paulo das Missões, state of Rio Grande do Sul, in Brazil. As methodological tools, it was used the theoretical reference and the application of 39 semi-structured interviews, applied to women between 15 and 29 years old, living in four communities selected according to geographic location, production systems adopted and organizational level of rural youth. The results point to the continuity of the process of migration of young women to the city in search of education or employment with 79% of young women between 15 and 20 years old, and 60% of women between 20 and 29 years old intending to remain. Among the responses, a tendency to search for pluriactive work stands out, where 33% desire to continue living in rural areas, however, working in the city. It is observed that the participation in religious and organizational activities of the communities influenced the prospects of rural continuity. In the opinion of the interviewees, the importance of public policies as a means of keeping young women in rural activity, along with income, access, technology, valorization, stands out. The communities differ when the expectation of permanence, being the community of Lavina district that more women or girls intend to remain in relation to the number of interviewed.