Statistical Analysis of the Location of Certified Organic Farmers in Mato Grosso do Sul

Abstract

The organic movement in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul gained strength in 1998, when several social movements and public institutions came together for joint actions to support and promote organic production. Organizations such as APOMS and ABPO, founded in 2000 and 2001 respectively, have worked together with universities, research institutions and rural extension to develop the system. Since 2002, large technical-scientific meetings open to the participation of farmers and traditional communities have mobilized a large number of people, presenting a large number of scientific works and holding technical workshops. This work aimed to evaluate, using data from the National Register of Organic Producers, from MAPA, how this effort translated into the number of certified production units in the state. The data analyzed included the number of farmers, production characteristics and certification systems adopted in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, compared to those registered in other regions of Brazil. The results showed that the state had, in May 2024, 32 certified units, 19 through participatory certification and 13 through audit, placing the state in penultimate place among Brazilian states in relation to the number of certified units, ahead of only Acre and Tocantins. This result is very low in relation to all the effort, mobilization, and available structure that occurred in the state in recent years. Therefore, it is essential to deepen this work, seeking to find out what obstacles are preventing both large farmers and family farmers from having difficulty obtaining certification, whether through audit or participatory certification.