摘要：Normal 0 21 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabela normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} The present paper applies the farming and rural systems economics approach to assess and analyze four different rural systems in Tocantins State , located in the north of Brazil . The farming systems are divided based on the local oil seed production and thus the small-scale farmers are split into: Ricinus Communis (well-known as Mamona) producers, Ricinus Communis non-producers; Jatropha Curcas (well-known as Pinh ã o Manso) producers; and Jatropha Curcas non-producers. A comprehensive survey was carried out between April and September 2008 through the application of specific questionnaires and comprises questions about socio-economic, environmental, financial and demographic aspects as well as other vectors of farm family living standard. The preliminary results point towards an overall better living standard among the families in the Ricinus Communis non-producers as well as in the Jatropha Curcas producers systems. The research is unprecedented in the region in question and one should expect that the results may subsidize and support local, regional as well as national policies especially those related to biodiesel and family agriculture.
关键词：Farming systems;living standard approach;Ricinus Communis, Jatropha Curcas, Brazilian Cerrado
