摘要：The technical efficiency indexes for the rural producer from the central region of Santa Catarina’s western side have been identified, thus enabling to determine their managerial profile through the evaluation of processes of decision-making in the properties, administration of agricultural business firms, strategical behaviour, time management, and information transferences. Moreover, the inter-relation among efficient enterprises and managerial ability, and vice-versa, was also verified. The methodology used in the qualitative analysis was the Data Envelopment Analysis-DEA, and the data used for such analysis were gathered by means of a semi-structured questionnaire. Twelve out of the fifty-eight analyzed properties did reach the efficiency frontier, thus being presented as benchmark to the other 46. After grouping the 58 units, through multivaried analysis, five distinct groups were defined for the studied sample, five inefficient properties having been chosen, one from each group, in order to enable for the development of the qualitative research. Plus, 4 of the properties which had been presented as benchmark were defined, enabling for the analysis on the firms which were considered as efficient. The study allowed one to state that a positive correlation between managerial abilities and technical efficiency does exist. However, one could also observe that the properties which showed to be technically efficient did not present specific features related to the managerial ability. The observed differencials were those resulting from a longer managerial experience as well as from the feeling which leads to correct decision-making. One single factor, considered preponderant for such matter, was the inexistence of integration in one single activity in all the efficient properties, a fact which was not observed in the inefficient ones. Another fact observed was a considerable lack of administrative maturity, generated mainly by insufficient instruction, and the lack of a sistemic visualization of the business.
