Health needs of the rural population in environmental conflict due to the installation of Irrigated Perimeters

Abstract

The transformations in the Brazilian agricultural scenario have reconfigured lifestyles in the countryside, with repercussions on the health of the rural population. The scope of this paper is to analyze health needs of farmers, identified by a collective of university actors, the Unified Health System and social movements. It is action-research, with a group comprised of community health workers, workers in a Reference Center in Occupational Health, a university professor and representatives of social movements. Semi-structured interviews and field visits were conducted, as well as workshops and seminars. The thematic categorization revealed five health need groupings: the need for revision of the agrarian development model; the need for good living conditions; the need for social mobilization; the need to avoid the use of pesticides; and the need for action of the Unified Health System (SUS). The dialogue of knowledge and exchange of experience elicited the recognition of health needs that require intersectoral action. Health needs must be understood in the context of the territories to which the individuals and groups belong, acknowledging the complexity of social, economic, cultural and environmental issues.