THE VITICULTURE IN MARIALVA– THE USE OF FAMILY LABOR IN THE GRAPE PRODUCTION CHAIN

Abstract

Despite the importance that family farm plays in Brazilian agriculture, it suffers great pressure due to the modernization of agriculture. The county of Marialva, located in northern Paraná state, is a different space within this context because in this county is a significant number of rural workers involved with the family farm. Thus, this article seeks to analyze the relationship between viticulture, predominant activity in the county, and a large contingent of family workers living there. To investigate the relationship between family work and viticulture were collected quantitative data related to this activity in different public organizations and qualitative data with the grape growers. According to the data analyzed in grape crop family hand labor appears as the main factor of production, because the vine needs daily care, and all work on it is manual. The data also revealed that family hand labor is employed in Marialva viticulture, and this was the major factor responsible for the high production and quality of the fruit. Thus, the large number of existing family workers in rural areas of the county of Marialva is directly involved with grape crop.