Protagonismo da pecuária bovina: avanços e desafios para pecuaristas de corte no municipio de Loanda-PR

Abstract

Beef cattle farming is of substantial importance in the national territory, present in almost half of the country's agricultural establishments, giving Brazil the title of largest beef exporter, with the second largest herd in the world. The Northwest region of Paraná concentrates the largest proportion of the herd in the state, with emphasis on the municipality of Loanda, where 86.2% of agricultural establishments carry out the activity. Considering this protagonism, the objective of this research is to analyze the challenges and coping strategies adopted by beef cattle farmers in the municipality of Loanda, in the Northwest of Paraná, to continue the activity. This study is a qualitative descriptive-exploratory research, with beef cattle farmers in the municipality of Loanda as the unit of analysis. Information was collected through 16 in-depth face-to-face and online interviews, containing 33 open, closed and multiple-choice questions. The interviewees are between 30 and 87 years old, with extensive and semi-intensive cattle farming systems as their main systems, registered on eight properties each. Vulnerable situations include the advancement of crop cultivation and, consequently, the suppression of the livestock area, the difficulty in finding successors and the size of the area considered insufficient. The main reason for developing this activity at the establishment is a historical and traditional relationship, which includes satisfaction with the activity. Ranchers consider livestock farming satisfactory when under pasture and point out that the activity generates good income. It is possible to conclude that the activity will continue in these establishments mainly due to the taste for the activity and the suitability of the soils for pasture cultivation. To achieve this, investment in technical assistance and specialized rural extension will be necessary, to make the activity more efficient economically and environmentally.