História do sistema de plantio direto na agricultura: o norte do Rio Grande do Sul (1980-2015)

Abstract

The agriculture is primarily responsible for the production of food in the world. Since the 1950s, it has been going through processes of transformation and adaptation. The present dissertation narrates and analyzes the history of the Direct Planting System in the north of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, considering it a stage of agriculture’s modernization occurred after World War II, how was its introduction, the mechanisms used to make the small and medium farmers to adapt to this modernity that requires high investments, until the implantation and consolidation of this technology, that was most expressive in the plateau of Rio Grande do Sul, and also how was the system of planting until the introduction of the direct planting. In order to do this, it takes up the history of the modernization of agriculture in Brazil and in the world, its introduction, the articulation of agriculture to the agroindustrial complex dominated by multinational organizations, the dependence of Brazilian agriculture on transnational capitalism, the permanencies and changes: economic, social and environmental, occurred throughout this process. The research sources used include the written press, oral sources with interviews with farmers from several municipalities in the north of Rio Grande do Sul, literary sources, documents and reports issued by government agencies, manufacturers of agricultural equipment, websites and educational institutions. This research is guided by the perspectives of regional history and environmental history, with emphasis on the spaces where the Direct Planting System had greater scope and that had their economies and their stories linked to this technology. Through the study of the history of agriculture in this space, the local and national historical contexts, that culminated with the introduction of this technology in the north of Rio Grande do Sul, are discussed. Thus, it is understood that the study of the history of the Direct Planting System is relevant, since there are few studies about the permanencies and changes caused by the implantation of this technology and it is important for the understanding of local history. It also allows us to understand conjunctures that involve agriculture at the national level, bringing elements that are representative of historical processes and broader contexts.