THE BARU NUT PRODUCTION CHAIN IN ARINOS-MG: WORKING CONDITIONS AND TECHNOLOGICAL BOTTLENECKS

Bárbara Passos; Maria de Fátima de Brito Lima; Álvaro Nogueira de Souza; MAÍSA SANTOS JOAQUIM

Todos os Trabalhos

Trabalho

DOI

10.29327/9786527226680.1438154

Título do Trabalho

THE BARU NUT PRODUCTION CHAIN IN ARINOS-MG: WORKING CONDITIONS AND TECHNOLOGICAL BOTTLENECKS

Autores

Bárbara Passos
Maria de Fátima de Brito Lima
Álvaro Nogueira de Souza
MAÍSA SANTOS JOAQUIM

Modalidade

IRSA - Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (01/10/2025 a 20/01/2026)

Área temática

IRSA 22 - Sociobiodiversity Economies within the Framework of Food and Nutrition Security (FNS): integrating research and public policy agendas

Data de Publicação

06/08/2026

País da Publicação

Brasil

Idioma da Publicação

pt-BR

Página do Trabalho

https://www.even3.com.br/anais/sober-irsa2026/1438154-the-baru-nut-production-chain-in-arinos-mg--working-conditions-and-technological-bottlenecks

ISBN

978-65-272-2668-0

Palavras-Chave

Baru nut, extractivism, technological gap, labor conditions, Cerrado

Resumo

The Baru tree (Dipteryx alata Vogel) stands out as one of the most promising native species of the Brazilian Cerrado. Its fruit yields a nut with high nutritional value and market potential, which is marketed both in Brazil and abroad. However, in the municipality of Arinos-MG, a major production hub, the value chain remains hostage to low-tech extractive processes. This work aims to characterize the working conditions and technological barriers found in the fruit collection and cracking stages in the region. It is observed that collection is performed manually in extensive areas of native vegetation and pastures, imposing long travel distances and physical exertion on extractivists under adverse weather conditions. Nevertheless, the critical bottleneck lies in processing. Due to the extreme rigidity of the Baru endocarp and the absence of pulping and cracking machines accessible to local family farmers, nut extraction is executed manually using rudimentary tools (hammers, stones, and adapted sickles). It was noted that the lack of appropriate technology results in: (i) a high level of drudgery and ergonomic risks for workers; (ii) low daily productivity, limiting commercial scale; (iii) discouragement of generational succession; and (iv) the underutilization of the mesocarp, which possesses a nutritional value similar to that of the nut. It is concluded that the lack of mechanization adapted to the local reality constitutes a structural barrier, perpetuating labor precarity and hindering the full socioeconomic development of the Baru chain in Arinos.

Título do Evento: 16th World Congress of Rural Sociology and 64th Congress of the Brazilian Society of Rural Economics, Management and Sociology
Cidade do Evento: Porto Alegre
Título dos Anais do Evento: Anais do 64º Congresso da SOBER e XVI Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (IRSA)
Nome da Editora: Even3
Meio de Divulgação: Meio Digital
DOI

Como citar

PASSOS, Bárbara et al.. THE BARU NUT PRODUCTION CHAIN IN ARINOS-MG: WORKING CONDITIONS AND TECHNOLOGICAL BOTTLENECKS.. In: Anais do 64º Congresso da SOBER e XVI Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (IRSA). Anais...Porto Alegre(RS) UFRGS, 2026. Disponível em: https//www.even3.com.br/anais/sober-irsa2026/1438154-THE-BARU-NUT-PRODUCTION-CHAIN-IN-ARINOS-MG--WORKING-CONDITIONS-AND-TECHNOLOGICAL-BOTTLENECKS. Acesso em: 31/08/2026