SOCIOECONOMIC PROFILE OF RURAL BENEFICIARIES OF THE BOLSA FAMÍLIA PROGRAM IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL

Abstract

The Bolsa Família Conditional Cash Transfer Program (PBF) has been the subject of studies and inspired anti-poverty programs, within and outside Brazil. Nevertheless, in rural areas, where there is the most part of the poor and extremely poor population and there are many PBF’s beneficiaries, there are few studies to understand its impact and its contribution to rural development. This article presents and analyzes the profile of rural PBF’s beneficiaries in southern Brazil in 2014. Using official data from the Cadastro Único para Programas Sociais (CadÚnico) of the Ministério do Desenvolvimento Social e Combate à Fome (MDS) the article indicates that there is similarity between the studied states and low availability of resources that the PBF’s beneficiaries may convert into work and income, maintaining them with a high level of poverty. Thus, the income transfer policy alone has been insufficient to overcome poverty, which requires that their implementation be associated with other activities and programs guided by the rural territorial development perspective.