Empreendimentos turísticos e agricultura familiar, elementos para uma abordagem de integração: estudo de caso na Serra da Mantiqueira, Minas Gerais

Abstract

Rural areas have gradually become sites for tourism ventures where local products are highlighted as one of the main attractions. The objective of this article was to examine the possibilities and limitations of connecting family farming and private business ventures in the shape of integrated rural tourism in the munici‑ pality of Piranguçu. Forty six interviews were carried out with family farmers and tourist entrepreneurs. These revealed a total lack of connection between these social actors. Entrepreneurs preferred to buy in supermarkets and farmers to sell to foreign markets. However, both showed interest in forming partnerships, although there is a need to build dialogue strategies to align the demand of enterprises and agricultural production, and ensure the commitment of the parties to maintain and expand the link. It is concluded that the context is promising to integrate the local family farmers’ expectations and maximise the tourist potential of the municipality.