Difficulties Faced by Small Producers in the Performance of the Dairy Livestock Activity

Abstract

The study aimed to identify the main difficulties faced by small milk producers in the municipality of Verê - PR. The research design is descriptive, by means of a survey, with a qualitative approach. The collection instrument consists of a questionnaire adapted from the study by Freitas (2014), being applied to twenty-five families of small producers. The results showed that the main difficulties faced are the price of a liter of milk, old age, family succession, reduced number of children and  investment in new technologies. It can also be identified that many producers abandon dairy farming due to old age, as they are retiring and, due to the lack of family labor to continue the work on the property. There is a reduction in the number of children and the migration of young people to the city in search of jobs. Farmers receive assistance from programs and actions aimed at milk production, but they report that they
are insufficient for them to be able to stay on their properties and cite the need to implement public policies aimed at favoring and strengthening dairy activity on small farms.