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Abstract
The objective of this paper was to identify and characterize farm family
livestock in Bagé, Rio Grande do Sul State (Brazil), according to some criteria (land
area, exploitation of approach, labour use, production objective, commercialization,
intermediary, production integration, rural income and no-rural income). Direct
interviews were conducted with family livestock farmers during May and June 2007 in
the following locations: Palmas, Olhos D’Água, Coxilha do Haedo, Serrilhada and Santa
Tecla, comprising a total of 40 interviews. Frequency analysis was used to examine the
data. The research showed that 80% of the farmers explore areas of up to 200 hectares and
87,5% of the interviewees use exclusively family labour. As for the rural income, 70% of
the cases earned less than two minimum wages. The results also showed the importance
of off-farm income compared to total income, particularly from retirements and pensions,
which are an essential instrument of social reproduction for the families.