Effects of agrarian policies in state of Paraíba, Brazil: is there economic viability?

Abstract

The objective of this work is to examine the agrarian policy actions implemented in Paraíba from 1995 to 2012 and their impacts on the land structure and generation of employment and income. This is an analytical and descriptive study, based on a bibliographical survey and secondary data collection carried out at the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics and the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform. Primary information collected from 647 chiefs of lots of 32 Settlement Projects located in the Mata Paraibana mesoregion was also used. Data analysis suggests that the agrarian policy implemented by the government since 1995 has given greater emphasis to the creation of settlements in relation to previous periods. However, despite this positive phase, the policy implemented was not able to reverse the high rates of land concentration in Paraíba. On the other hand, it was verified that the settlements created in Mata Paraibana have economic viability, since they employ people who were precariously inserted in the labor market, besides allowing the increase of the level of income, as well as the expansion of the food supply. Thus, the search for ways to reduce levels of land concentration through public policies is essential, since it can provide the socialization of the land, the insertion of people in the labor market, the increase of food production, besides other factors. However, land redistribution policies must be accompanied by other strategies that improve the living conditions and production of settled families.