“Here at home everyone has land, if they want they can plant”

social reproduction of rural workers after wage labor in oil palm cultivation

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyze recent evidence of social reproduction of rural workers after their salaried work in oil palm farming in the rural village of Belenzinho, Acará (PA), in northeastern Pará. The research was carried out through a case study in the rural village of Belenzinho in the municipality of Acará, in northeastern Pará, between 2021 and 2023. We prioritized direct observation, the recording of informal conversations, and interviews through semi-structured questionnaires with 18 workers who experienced post-salaried work in oil palm farming. The main conclusions show that these rural workers, upon leaving their salaried employment, have their social reproduction linked to agriculture through the production of food and commercial crops linked, respectively, to tradition and to the recent demands of global markets: cassava, açaí, and oil palm. Labor relations are intertwined with family work on their own and rented lands to guarantee food, income, and permanence in their places of origin.