Economic value of rural women's work in Family-Based Ecological Agroindustrial Systems (SAFEs)

Abstract  This paper aims to analyze the contributions of rural women in Ecologically Based Family Agroindustrial Systems (SAFEs), demonstrating how many hours farming families work in different activities, how much income each activity generates and the importance of women farmers' work. Thus, through the economic-financial assessment method of added value, it was possible to survey the hours worked of all family, in four activities: primary production, agroindustry, commerce and domestic work, and then calculate the individual financial contribution. for the composition of family income. The research was applied in 12 SAFEs, in the years 2020 and 2021, in the Southwest region of Paraná. The results show that, in addition to playing a central role in food processing, working around 75% of hours in agroindustrialization, women actively participate in primary production, in the construction of food markets and in the management of SAFEs. Furthermore, they generate, on average, 28 thousand reais/year from nom paid domestic work, with 95% of the hours worked by them. Thus, the research showed that the productive inclusion of women did not reduce their workload in reproductive activities, causing double shifts. Even so, they seek greater levels of autonomy, financial independence and occupy public spaces, previously reserved for men.

Keywords:  food; family farmers; feminist economics; added value; rural and regional development