Implications of the agricultural frontier occupation model for family farming in Terra Nova do Norte and Nova Guarita, Mato Grosso, Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

This study aims to understand the difficulties generated by the occupation model of an agricultural frontier in the Brazilian Amazon and the strategies used by family farmers to overcome them. The data were collected through 20 focus groups, associated with the construction of timelines. The challenges faced by farmers during the phase of agricultural occupation of the territory are similar to those experienced by the thousands of Brazilians who migrated to the Amazon in search of land and the social reproduction of their families in agriculture. The exception is the illegitimate occupation of a collective legal reserve area, which generates restrictions on access to rural credit, given land and environmental irregularities. New development initiatives emerge from the lessons learned during the crisis and the reestablishment of the family farming sector in the region.