Country Brief: Rural benefits and support for smallholder farmers in Brazil: Addressing rural poverty and climate vulnerability

To address rural poverty and the long-standing exclusion of rural workers from social protection systems, Brazil introduced significant legislative reforms in 1991 that provided for the extension of social protection to rural workers and smallholder farmers. Workers from these groups now have access to social security benefits through a special system which takes into consideration their limited contributory capacity and the small scale of their productive activities. 

This country brief examines the scheme’s core design features while setting it within a broader context of policies to support smallholder farmers throughout their life cycle. In line with the Global Accelerator’s focus on integrated policy approaches, this study shows how Brazil’s rural policy framework offers a compelling model for successfully tackling rural poverty and promoting rural economic development.