Family Farming, Land Use and Sustainability in the Amazon: Focusing on the Educational Dimension

Abstract

The struggles for land possession and deforestation were some results of the recent occupation process in the Amazon. Family farming was the target of land policies in the region, with recurring failures. Issues related to land governance and pro-poor policies have returned to the discussions, especially by the food production. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between the educational level, land access and sustainable land use among farmers in Acre State, Brazil, in the periods 1996/1997 and 2006/2007. Based on a sample, the methodology worked with variables related to the educational level, the access and the use of land, economic results and solid garbage. The results show that the higher educational level is directly related to the land access security and inversely proportional to sustainability in the land use type. Furthermore, production difficulties are leading to greater market dependence and, consequently, to increased generation of solid garbage, whose disposal may be better directed by improving the farmers’ education.