THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUNICIPALITIES AND RURAL AREAS IN THE FRUITS CIRCUIT REGION, STATE OF SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL

Vanilde F. De Souza-Esquerdo, Sonia M. P. P. Bergamasco

Abstract: The Fruits’ Circuit is a region with great tradition in fruit production that comprises 10 municipalities in the state of São Paulo. According to recent studies, the majority of rural properties in the referred region are held and managed by family farmers. In this sense, this paper presents a survey that aimed to verify the importance of rural areas for the Fruits’ Circuit municipalities through secondary data analysis. We have found that the 10 municipalities that are part of the Fruit’s Circuit have their economies mainly geared to the service and industrial sectors, therefore agriculture it’s not a representative activity for the constitution of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the region. However, as agricultural products tipically have low added value in comparision to industrial products, the GPD may fudge its social and economic role for local development. In this paper we also note the importance of family faming for the region as a fundamental social actor in the continuity of its cultural traditions, specially by the festivals that are held in the municipalities as celebrations to annual harvests.

Keywords: family farming; gross domestic product; rural development; rural tourism

Date published: 2017-10-17