Os pêssegos não caem do céu: relações de trabalho a agricultura familiar no município de Pelotas/RS.

Abstract

The issue of the workforce is an increasingly important subject, considering that the availability of labor power in the context of family farming and rural areas as a whole has decreased. This paper was based on the premise that, even in the context of family farming, the issue of labor relations has a specificity. Thus, it is necessary to consider the current forms of work and their relevance to keep the agricultural activity going, particularly regarding the production of peaches in the municipatily of Pelotas/RS, a farming model which diverges from crops such as soybeans, known precisely for demanding less and less labor power because of the increased mechanization of the productive processes. In this context, it was verified the relevance of knowing the social conditions of living of the rural workers, who are hired to work as temporary, occasional or seasonal workers for specific services within farming activities, such as pruning and harvesting. The main purpose of this research was to analyze the labor relations in the family farming dedicated to the production of peaches in Pelotas, with emphasis on the issue of hiring seasonal workers. The proposed methodology included the use of several sources (primary and secondary). The use of primary sources was through in-depth interviews, which were applied between February and August 2017 to fifteen family farming and five rural workers who work in the aforementioned stages of the production process. And the use of secondary sources was by collecting census data and general and specific information from official bodies, trade unions and other institutions. The conclusions of this study show that this relationship between family farming and rural workers is indispensable. The reduction of labor power, inside and outside the farms, is a factor that limits the expansion of orchards and represents a threat to the future of this cultivation. The difficulties in regulating these labor relations make producers and rural workers act illegally in many cases. The incidence of pluriactivity among peach producers was another aspect verified during the research.