THE IMPORTANCE OF DAIRY LIVESTOCK FOR FAMILY FARMING IN THE RURAL COMMUNITIES OF ITUIUTABA (MG)

Abstract

Livestock is an economic activity present in the state of Minas Gerais since his colonization. Both beef and dairy cattle are responsible for generating income in the countryside, so the state has one of the largest cattle herds in the country. Dairy farming is the most prominent source of income for family farmers in Ituiutaba (MG). In face of these factors, the objective of this paper is to show the reality of dairy farming developed by family farmers through reproduction strategies in the context of the modernization of milk production, as well as the dilemmas for staying in the activity. To achieve the objectives were conducted bibliographic and documentary research; tabulation and analysis of data and information from primary and secondary sources; In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with dairy farmers from two rural communities in the municipality, the Canoa rural community and the Baixadão rural community. Dairy production in the surveyed communities has been changing over the last few years, with the acquisition of mechanical milking and expansion tanks for example; as well as the use of information technologies such as mobile apps that assist in property management. The aging of the residents, the departure of young people from the countryside, the absence of state subsidies and the debts incurred to modernize production are major obstacles to the reproduction of families in the communities surveyed. However, even with so many adversities, livestock, especially dairy farming, has been the main economic activity of family farmers in the municipality, responsible, therefore, for their permanence and (re) existence in the field.