Socioeconomy of Family Farmers in the Quilombola Settlement Project in Óbidos, Pará, Brazil: Subsidies for the Management of Quilombola Family Farming

Abstract

Objective: Analyze the socioeconomics of family farmers in the Quilombola Settlement Project in Óbidos-PA, in order to subsidize the management of Quilombola family production agricultural systems.   Theoretical framework: It presents the historical and institutional process of environmentally differentiated projects and the historical and current context of the existing quilombola communities in Brazil, as well as the current socioeconomic situation experienced by the quilombolas.   Method: The research is classified as quantitative-descriptive. A case study was carried out through the application of interviews and direct observation. 100 quilombola farmers from the municipality of Óbidos, Pará. Brazil participated in the research. Data were organized in Excel for Windows® spreadsheets and analyzed using descriptive statistics.   Results and conclusion: The results showed that most quilombola farmers have a low level of education, their families are relatively large and they live in precarious housing and basic sanitation conditions, with a monthly income of less than the minimum wage. The results also showed that family farming is the main source of income and subsistence and the federal government's social programs are the main sources of financial supplementation.   Research implications: This research will contribute with competent authorities and decision makers in proposing public policies that provide a better quality of life for settled families and promote the development of the local communities involved, which lead in the seventh position with the largest quilombola population in Brazil.   Originality/value: Knowledge of the socio-economics of quilombola family farmers in an agrarian reform settlement area will support public managers and representative entities in decision-making and management of agricultural systems of family production.