Fatores determinantes da sucessão familiar em pequenas propriedades rurais

Abstract

The objective of this study was to understand the determining factors in family succession in small rural properties, with the municipality of David Canabarro-RS defined as the research site. The specific objectives were: (a) to describe and characterize the structure of rural properties and families; (b) to describe the process and stage of family succession; (c) to identify the contributing factors in the effectiveness of the rural family succession process; (d) to correlate the factors that determined the effectiveness or rupture in the family succession process. The study is justified by the practical contribution of encouraging rural families to reflect on family succession and to think of alternatives that avoid rural exodus. The study was developed based on the neo-Marxist theoretical perspective of rural studies; however, it contemplates the broader debate in order to highlight the complexity involved in rural family succession. Thus, the conceptual understanding of rural properties and families was elaborated considering their sociological and anthropological dimensions of the rural family, and the management aspects were analyzed considering the management literature, which characterizes the study as transdisciplinary. In methodological terms, it is an applied social research developed using the multiple case study strategy and a qualitative approach to data collected through interviews and analyzed using the content analysis method. Through interviews with the heirs and owners, some observations were made: the properties that were successful in this process presented a set of factors such as: low education of the heirs so that they can have other opportunities in the city, encouragement from parents to continue with the family business and well-structured properties where the heirs can have income to support themselves, seem to positively influence the succession. On the other hand, opposing factors such as the influence of parents so that their children leave the property often reflecting low returns and exhausting work, negatively influence the succession, heirs with higher education end up finding well-paid jobs outside the property. The results confirm the findings of the literature on the subject of rural family succession, that there is no single factor responsible for rural family succession, but a set of factors that contribute to deciding whether or not to succeed.