Emergency situations in southeastern Pará: the economic and social survival of two peasant organizations amid the pandemic and expanding livestock farming

Abstract

São Félix do Xingú, Pará is the Brazilian city that produces the most cattle, with a herd of over 2 million head, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE, 2020). Despite its strong presence, this is not the only activity underway in this region, nor does it entirely represent all forms of appropriation, signification, and use of spaces. The region is home to broad social diversity, and family farmers play an important role; during the pandemic, these farmers saw their way of living threatened. In an effort to investigate the situation, this work studied how family farmers in São Félix do Xingu who had organized themselves into associations and cooperatives lived through and continue to live through the crisis within the context of the pandemic and expanding livestock farming. The analysis focused on how they perceived health risks and the inability to work within this scenario. The research was qualitative, and the WhatsApp cell phone application was essential for maintaining contact with the participants during the most difficult times of the pandemic. The interviews were partially structured and social distancing strictly observed. The COVID-19 pandemic made the interlocutors in this study vulnerable in terms of infection risk as well as economic and social threats. Despite this situation, the social actors continue to keep their hopes alive, maintaining their established agendas and plans.