Soybean is the most important Brazilian agricultural product, highlighting Mato Grosso as the
largest national production of this commodity. This activity in Mato Grosso has some
characteristics as predominance of large farms, high capital investment, high productivity and
strong coordination among the agents of the productive chain. Although historically these
characteristics have excluded family farmers from soybean production, it is possible to
identify these farmers in the rural area of Mato Grosso, raising the question of how they are
able to overcome the limiting conditions for soybeans production. This study aimed to
analyze the mechanisms of insertion of family farmers in North of Mato Grosso in the
soybean supply chain. A questionnaire was applied with small family farmers in six
municipalities in Mato Grosso to gather information about production, profitability and
institutional practices. With an exploratory factorial analysis, it was possible to identify the
factors that correlate institutional practices, also was performed the Productive Technological
Index of Family Agriculture (ITPAF) with the factors scores, which analyzed the variables
that most interfere in the technological adoption and profitability of the family farming
soybean production. The results demonstrated that the economic viability of soybean
production in small family farms is achieved with institutional practices that complement the
technical improvements technologies. The presence of two markets, one for trading used
machinery between farmers and other of contract services of harvesting, allows the reduction
of investment in an essential machinery in soybean production, the harvester. Other
mechanisms such as Rural Product Certificate (CPR), contracts of future sale and
commercialization of soybean to the biodiesel program help the viability of production by
providing credit, reducing exposure to risk and adding new markets for soybean negotiation.
ITPAF has shown that farmers have moderate adoption to institutional innovations, requiring
the diffusion of knowledge in supply chain, mainly with public policies of rural extension.
Within family production, although economies of scale still influence the production of
commodities, in general small farms can develop the commodity production and provide
income to families. Identify institutional mechanisms that contribute to the production of
soybean in family farming allows them to be disseminated and improved in the institutional
environment, through public policies, consequently promoting rural development.
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