Agribusiness

   CONTENTS  

Foreword

Research Structures

Energy, Environment, and Biodiversity

Humanities and Ethics

Culture and Education

Society and Development

Information and Communication Technology

Biology and Health

Research Structures and Researchers

About

Home PUCRS TECNOPUC EDIPUCRS
Uk  Versão em Português  Uk  PDF Version  

A diversified production qualifies urban areas

An analysis of the productive structure of the agriculture and livestock industry in Rio Grande do Sul in the 2000s allowed the members of the Research Group on Agribusiness to confirm a hypothesis stated by one of its research lines: the growth of urban production relates to the profile of agriculture and livestock production. Consistently, the better urban performance of RS counties is associated with more diversified agriculture and livestock productive structures.

Chaired by Professor Adelar Fochezatto, that study applied an econometric model that included variables such as the nonagricultural gross domestic product (GDP), Gini index, and gross value added (GVA). The results showed that wherever multiple options for agricultural and livestock production were available, the flow of products was larger and led to the growth of rural areas and expansion of non-rural ones. One example in RS is provided by the comparison between the blossoming mountain area with its varied crops and the Pampa devoted to cattle breeding and rice cultivation.

In another line of inquiry, researchers Adelar Fochezatto and Valter Stülp sought to establish whether the average size of agricultural properties changed between 1970 and 2006. Based on the 2006 Agriculture and Livestock Census and a convergence analysis, a slow reduction of the size of farms was observed. Using a Markov chain analysis, the researchers forecasted that in approximately 500 years, the average size of the properties will be approximately 60 hectares. Additionally, the rural exodus that was highly characteristic of the 1950s and 60s has stopped.

Correlated to the two above-mentioned studies, an analysis of the productivity of the rural manpower showed a reduction in this regard. The group concluded that although many settlements were established by the Agrarian Reform in previous years, the agricultural production did not increase at an identical rate. This result is because many such settlements are not devoted to commercial agricultural production or the development of nonagricultural activities.

In addition to the above-mentioned subjects, the group’s scope of activities includes topics related to biotechnology and forecasts an increasing demand for food and renewable energy.