Socioeconomic Profile of Agricultural Producers and Production Systems in Municipalities of Piauí, Brazil

Creusa Carvalho da Costa (), Ana Cristina Alves Rodrigues, Caroline Chaves Arantes, Graciliano Galdino Alves dos Santos and Emil José Hernández Ruz
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Creusa Carvalho da Costa: Department of Biotechnology and Biodiversity, Belem Campus of Pará, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, Brazil
Ana Cristina Alves Rodrigues: Department of Development and Environment, Petronio Portela Campus, Universidade Federal do Piauí, Teresina 64049-550, Brazil
Caroline Chaves Arantes: School of Natural Resources and the Environment, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Graciliano Galdino Alves dos Santos: Department of Biotechnology and Biodiversity, Belem Campus of Pará, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, Brazil
Emil José Hernández Ruz: Department of Biotechnology and Biodiversity, Belem Campus of Pará, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, Brazil

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 9, 1-20

Abstract: Floodplain agriculture is a practice that involves cultivating arable soils along riverbanks and reservoirs, which become submerged during the rainy season. This study aimed to analyze the socioeconomic aspects of floodplain farmers in the municipalities of Amarante, Floriano, and Uruçuí along the banks of the Parnaíba River in northeastern Brazil. We conducted semi-structured interviews using the rapport technique. Data were analyzed using generalized linear models with four distributions (gamma, inverse Gaussian, exponential, and Gaussian), with the aim of identifying patterns and relationships between socioeconomic variables and production system profiles. The average age of respondents was 49 years across the three communities, with a predominance of male farmers. Regarding the length of residence, communities in Uruçuí had lived in the area the longest. In terms of monthly income, 80% of farmers earned up to one minimum wage. Land size analysis indicated that properties in Amarante had the highest average land area in hectares. We conclude that agriculture in the region studied is dominated by manual planting, low adoption of technologies, and scarce use of soil conservation techniques, suggesting more sustainable agricultural practices, the development of management plans, and rural extension practices.

Keywords: agricultural sustainability; family farming; rural development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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