Desenvolvimento rural brasileiro : uma análise a partir da construção de um índice multidimensional

Abstract

The brazilian rural development from 1970 was marked by the modernization of agriculture through the premises of the green revolution, related to technological innovations, the increase of productivity through the intensive use of chemical inputs, mechanization and the use of cheap labor. The implementation of this productivist model in Brazilian agriculture has caused major changes in rural areas, affecting their development and generating social economic and environmental consequences. In this sense, this research aimed to develop a multidimensional rural development index of Brazilian micro-region, in order to know the inherent development process heterogeneities. Combining different databases with a cut in rural areas, the index includes indicators in the economic, social, demographic and environmental, through simple arithmetic average was possible to combine these dimensions and classify the Brazilian micro-regions in seven degrees of performance. The results show a very heterogeneous rural development in Brazil, and this process goes beyond the social or economic dimension, because different regions showed strong deficiencies regarding environmental and sustainability aspects. The results can provide important recommendations for public and private policies and serve as a basis for future comparisons from the publication of updated data.