O risco como restrição à melhoria da produtividade da mão-de-obra agrícola

Abstract

The present research aims to analyse and understand the association of the risk with the low productivity of the agricultural labor force, in the small units of production of the Northeast, lookin for generating subsides to the conception reliable strategies of more, keeping in mind the definition, adaptation, difusion and implementation of productive systems which effectively permit an improvement of this productivity. The incorporation of risk as an explanatory source of the levei of productivity of agricultural labor force was based upon two theories: one which identifies the responsible factors for the difference of labor productivity, and the other which analyses the influence of subjective perception of risk upon the behavior of small farmers, in the use of these factors. The data were obtained form 10% of familiar farm unity, in two homogeneus micro-regions of Piauí State, with diferrente physiographic characteristics. The COBB-DOUGLAS production function with variable return to scale,with coefficients of variable partial elasticities, developed by ULVELING & FLETCHER. Its utility in the present study was to furnish the analysis of influence of risk upon the levei of productivity of agricultural labor force, through the modification of coefficients of partial elasticities of variables which represent the factors, land, technology and capital (animais and fixed inversions). Two functions were estimated for each observed micro-region: one from the data of production unity which only explore cultures, and the other wich basis upon the data of those ones which explore cultures and cattle raising. In the functions relative to production units wich explore cultures and cattle raising in both the micro-regions, the diversified risk showed itself positively associated with the productivity of agricultural labor force. In the functions related with the units which only explore cultures, it is observed that in the micro-region enclosed in the northeastern semi-arid (Valença do Piauí), the diversified risk showed itself negatively associated to this productivity, while it was insignificant to influence the behavior of small farmers in the micro-region less affected by the risk factors (Baixo Parnaíba Piauiense). It was still observed in bot fitted functions for the units which explore cultures and cattle raising, that the coefficient of partial elasticity of size of agricultural exploration was higher than that one of the size of cattle raising exploration, for a given risk levei, suggesting that the latter is reducer of variability of productivity of agricultural labor force, when included in the portfolio of the productive unit. So, it can be conclued that the risk decisively influences the behavior of the small farmers, with reflections upon decrease in the efficiency of productive process, in a manner which limits the possibilities of improvement of productivity of agricultural labor force in the familiar farm unity of the Northeast region. With basis upon the presupposition of aversion to risk and of nationale of the small farmers, the results of this research are consistent with the studies already performed in relation to the preference of this category of producers to reduce possibilities of earning higher levei of income, in exchange with the warranty of the family subsistence. Keeping in mind that the agricultural activies as well as the exploration models have characteristics of proper risk the conclusions of the present study allow to reinforce the guidances for that the composition and selection of production systems in the northeastern region be praticed in function of expectatives of risk - income of the small farmer, in each specific situation, if it is intended a sustainable improvement of productivity of agricultural labor force in the familiar farm unity.