A reorganização do espaço agrário de Guaporé/RS (2006 – 2020): mudanças, permanências e perspectivas

Abstract

The transformations that took place in the agrarian space between the years 2006 to 2020, is the theme of this investigation, whose spatial unit of analysis was the municipality of Guaporé, located in the northeast region of Rio Grande do Sul, particularly in the context of the Serra Gaúcha. Although the activities of the agrarian sector are not the main ones, due to its orientation towards industry and services, the municipality has great potential to have in the primary sector one of its vectors responsible for economic development. Its production matrix is structured based on production chains that perform different functions and levels of importance. In recent years, especially between 2006 and 2020, there had an expansion of corporate production chains, such as soybeans, causing changes in the composition and structuring of agricultural activities. Thus, the central question of this research is: How is the reorganization of the agrarian space in Guaporé given the restructuring and expansion of new productive chains over areas traditionally occupied with corn? Based on this question, the general goal to understand the processes responsible for the reorganization of the agricultural space in Guaporé/RS, marked by the replacement of traditional corn cultivation by soy monoculture. In its specificities, the research seeks: a) to analyze the process of modernization of agriculture in the municipality; b) describe the changes in the agrarian structure and land use in agricultural establishments; c) to characterize the dynamics of agricultural production and the main productive chains and their role in spatial organization; and d) identify the prospects for the development of the agrarian space. For this, a methodological path was established centered on the theoretical review of the concepts, the collection of secondary data, as well as, the field work with the leaders and the farmers. With the development of this investigation, the aim was to contribute to the understanding of issues related to the modernization of agriculture, spatial reorganization and the recent transformations in agricultural production spaces. It is noteworthy that the information obtained through the development of this work, enabled the production of scientific knowledge, since the investigated unit lacks works on the geographical theme and with theoretical-methodological deepening, serving as a subsidy for managing bodies in the development of policies focused on this segment. At the end of this investigation, it is considered that the role established by the expansion of the new production chains assumes complementarity, evidencing the vocation that Guaporé has for agricultural diversification, remaining structured from crops of a business character, and also with cultural appeal.