FROM TENURE TO PRODUCTION: IMPACTS OF LAND TITLING AND ACCESS TO CREDIT IN THE ITAQUIRAÍ SETTLEMENT/MS

impactos da titulação da terra e do acesso ao crédito no Assentamento Itaquiraí/MS

Abstract

This study analyzes the impacts of land titulation in the Itaquiraí Settlement, in Mato Grosso do Sul, specifically regarding access to rural credit. This multi-method (qualitative and quantitative) research sought to understand how the legal security provided by land tenure regularization influences the socioeconomic development of the 61 participating families in the sample. The results highlight a predominantly aging demographic profile, with a higher concentration in the 56 to 65 age group, as well as a heterogeneous regularization process marked by various stages of financial (GRU) and administrative pending issues. Although titulation acts as a facilitator for banking integration—by serving as collateral—only 18% of the families accessed formal credit in the last year, mostly through crop financing (custeio). It is observed, therefore, that legal security alone is not sufficient to boost agricultural production. The low rate of financing stems from the fear of debt, the bureaucracy involved, and the prevalence of management based on own resources. Thus, titulation must be understood as a fundamental step, but one that needs to be linked to integrated policies of technical assistance and financial education in order to transform the property title into effective autonomy and rural prosperity.