O presente estudo faz uma revisão crítica da literatura sobre a mudança tecnológica na agricultura e uma breve descrição da abordagem alternativa do crescimento agrícola. Na literatura tradicional, apresentam-se a difusão tecnológica, o dualismo produtivo e a inovação induzida. Na visão dinâmica, mostra-se a abordagem alternativa do crescimento agrícola, bem como a importância das inovações e da capacidade de absorção de conhecimentos. A grande limitação dos estudos tradicionais, ao abordarem o crescimento agrícola, é a ausência de explicações da busca tecnológica e do processo de aprendizado. A compreensão do setor agrícola deve identificar que nem todo o desenvolvimento tecnológico e geração de novos conhecimentos estão cristalizados nos insumos produtivos. A agricultura não funciona por meio de agentes receptores passivos de tecnologias. O processo de inovação na agricultura é estruturado dentro de complexos arranjos produtivos e de instituições (públicas e privadas) promotoras do conhecimento. Os investimentos e as atividades de experimentação são exercidos dentro da unidade produtiva, gerando maior estoque de conhecimento e ampla capacidade de absorção, além de estimular a apropriação privada dos ganhos produtivos.

The study seeks to analyze the importance of agricultural production in Matopiba, comprising areas in the states of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí and Bahia, for economic development. The agricultural economic dynamics of this region becomes central in guiding the decisions of private actors in promoting regional development and the most appropriate formulation of public policies to local realities. The scientific problem here is to question whether the investments mobilized are in fact sustainable, and in what extent agribusiness has the strength to lead the development of poor states with high population density in rural areas. As an hypothesis, it is understood that agricultural policy can be an important tool for local development, reducing inequalities and promoting sustainable management of natural resources in this region.BUAINAIN, Antonio Marcio; GARCIA, Junior Ruiz; VIEIRA FILHO, José Eustáquio. A economia agropecuária do Matopiba. Estudos Sociedade e Agricultura, jun. 2018, v. 26, n. 2, p. 376-401, ISSN 2526-7752.

Brazil is among the world’s leading food producers and exporters. The opportunity arose to examine and analyse dynamics of spatiotemporal of major agricultural crop and animal commodities within Brazil. An investigation was carried out on shifts in distribution density across Brazil’s different agricultural production regions between 1990 and 2015. This focused mainly on the midwest region, Brazil’s main agricultural frontier in the 21st century. This process enabled an analysis of the potential areas for maintenance and expansion of food supply chains and confirmed an increase in agricultural production in country’s central region. Geographical transformations were noted in the midwest region’s interior and its frontier with the Amazon biome. Over the study period, geographical midpoints of some key agricultural commodities (e.g., soybean, maize) and beef cattle production shifted towards the midwest’s interior, whereas milk, poultry, and pork production shifted southward. A vital issue in discussing contemporary rural areas, agricultural food production is tied to the quality of life, food supply, distribution, and consumption, as well as social, economic, and spatial inequalities. The development of science and technology applied to agriculture has implications regarding production growth and innovation targeted toward guaranteeing sustainable long-term production.

Family farming is relevant for the generation of employment and income in the countryside. The objective of this study is to analyze the challenges and potentialities in the socioeconomic dynamics of agriculture through the institutional food market in the area of operation of a family farming cooperative. A qualitative case study was carried out in the north of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, through eighteen in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed using the content analysis method, considering five categories: economic, social, environmental, food security, and family succession. The results indicate that labor shortage and excessive bureaucracy are constant challenges. Furthermore, effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, lack of information, and lack of succession are among the main challenges of the institutional market from the perspective of the social agents participating in the research. On the other hand, the institutional commercialization channel, via the National School Feeding Program, is a consolidated public policy in the region, and one of the greatest benefits identified was the increase in the income of the cooperative members. Among the main potentialities of the institutional market from the agents’ point of view are income guarantee, institutional relations, support from cooperatives and technical assistance and rural extension, women’s involvement, and productive diversification. The results can support the implementation and strengthening of similar programs in other countries.

Este estudo tem como objetivo principal apresentar e discutir os impactos do Programa Nacional de Fortalecimento da Agricultura Familiar (Pronaf) sobre a renda e a produtividade na agricultura familiar brasileira. Para alcançar o objetivo proposto, foram utilizados dados da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios (PNAD) do ano de 2014 e empregou-se como método de análise o Propensity Score Matching (PSM). Observou-se que o programa apresenta efeito médio positivo de 10,9% sobre a renda dos seus beneficiários em relação aos não beneficiários. Quanto ao efeito do Pronaf sobre a produtividade agropecuária, os beneficiários do Pronaf apresentam em média uma produtividade 15,2% maior em comparação aos não beneficiários.