Video summary

NOVO CAF AULA01

Main summary

Key takeaways

Educational

Main ideas and concepts (lesson overview)

Purpose of the video/lesson

  • Introduces the National Registry of Family Farming (CAF) and the CAF Web system.
  • Explains:
    • the general provisions of CAF, and
    • who benefits from Family Farming public policies (i.e., who is eligible to register).

What CAF is

  • A government instrument to identify family farmers.
  • Used to identify and qualify:
    • UFPA (Family Unit of Agricultural Production)
    • EFR (Rural Family Enterprise)
    • Associative forms/organizations of family farming
  • Enables registration of:
    • Individuals (family farmers)
    • Different legal arrangements (enterprises and associations/cooperatives)

Legal basis

  • Law 11.326 (July 24, 2006) — “Family Farming Law”
  • Decree 9.064 (May 31, 2017) — regulated the law
  • Detailed conditions/procedures are also defined via ordinances from the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Farming.

Key definitions

UFPA (Family Unit of Agricultural Production)

A group of individuals (a family) that uses production factors to:

  • support self-consumption
  • ensure subsistence
  • meet societal demand for food and other goods/services

Key requirements:

  • Residency rule: the family must live on the property where activities occur or in a nearby location.
  • The family may include additional individuals if they:
    • contribute to UFPA income, or
    • have their expenses covered by the activities.
  • Includes the concept of “aggregated family”:
    • people who cultivate part of the property with the owner’s consent, even if they are not the property owners.
  • The legislation also mentions possible UFPA composition including:
    • owner/possessor/beneficiary of National Agrarian Reform Program (PNRA) residing in the settlement/project or its plots.

EFR (Rural Family Enterprise)

A rural enterprise in a legal format intended to:

  • produce, process, or market agricultural products, and/or
  • provide services (example given: rural tourism)

Key requirements:

  • Must be formed exclusively by one or more CAF-registered beneficiaries.
  • An EFR can involve more than one UFPA.

Associative forms recognized in CAF

Family Farming Association

  • Requires proof that all associated legal entities have active CAF registration.
  • For associated individuals:
    • the group must be made up of >50% family farmers with active CAF registration (50% + 1).

Single Cooperative of Family Farming

  • Must be constituted by at least 50% farmers with active CAF registration.

Central Cooperative of Family Farming

  • Family farmers with active CAF registration must sum to >50% of the number of members in the single cooperatives.

CAF Web: what it does

  • CAF Web is an online system that integrates and cross-references information provided by family farmers with other government databases (example mentioned: National Social Information Registry).
  • The course indicates that there will be system guidance tutorials later.

Eligibility criteria (explicit requirements)

To register, the UFPA and/or EFR must simultaneously meet these requirements:

  • Area limit: up to four fiscal modules
  • Labor profile: predominantly uses family labor in the establishment’s economic activities
  • Income composition: obtains at least half of gross family income from activities carried out inside the establishment/enterprise
  • Management profile: managed in a strictly family-oriented manner

Who can be registered (beneficiary groups mentioned)

CAF eligibility applies to family farmers/family entrepreneurs meeting the legal requirements, including:

  • People exploiting agricultural property in urban and peri-urban areas
  • Family farming organizational forms in urban/peri-urban areas
  • Silviculturists cultivating native/exotic forests and promoting sustainable forest management
  • Aquaculturists:
    • exploit water reservoirs up to 2 hectares total surface, or
    • use up to 500 m³ of water when exploiting in net cages
  • Artisanal ecologically sustainable activists (artisanaly and ecologically sustainable practices)
  • Artisanal fishermen
  • Indigenous peoples
  • Quilombola peoples and members of other traditional peoples/communities
  • Mariculturists (included as a beneficiary category that must meet CAF requirements)

Also highlighted:

  • Settled under PNRA (National Agrarian Reform Program)
  • Beneficiaries of the National Land Credit Program

Important rules about CAF registration

  • Uniqueness rule: only one active registration is allowed per:
    • UFPA, enterprise, or associative form.
  • Condominium property: one registration per condominium.
  • Registration origin/municipality linkage:
    • For UFPA: linked to the municipality where the main property is located.
    • For EFR and other associational forms: linked to the municipality where their headquarters are located.
  • Voluntary and free:
    • Registration is voluntary
    • No fees may be charged for registration or related systematization.

Registration process via CAF Web (method + detailed instruction lists)

Step 1: Who performs/operates registration (CAF network)

The CAF network is the set of accredited entities (public and private, nonprofit) that:

  • receive information, and
  • issue CAF registration.

Public CAF network examples

  • Technical assistance and rural extension companies
  • State/federal public bodies such as INCRA
  • Municipalities

Private CAF network examples

  • Private entities operating per statutes and covering territorial levels
  • Unions representing Family Farming
  • Fishermen’s colonies

Restriction

  • Associative forms that already have active CAF registration cannot join the CAF network as entities eligible to carry out registration.

Step 2: Documents to present when registering (UFPA)

When registering UFPA, the farmer must provide:

  • Photo ID of the declarant (e.g., identity card, driver’s license, or similar)

  • CPF copy for each member of the organization

Additional documentation depending on situation:

  • If the applicant is over 16 years old (UFPA applicants over 16):
    • documentation proving ownership or legal possession of the land
  • For indigenous and quilombola families:
    • proof may be through:
      • self-declaration of ethnic identity, or
      • declaration of ethnic belonging
  • For artisanal fishermen:
    • professional registration as artisanal fisherman
  • For non-occupying extractivists:
    • self-declaration
  • Provide a copy of documentation proving all income generated inside and outside the rural establishment.

Step 3: Documents to present when registering (EFR / associations/cooperatives)

For a Rural Family Enterprise (association or cooperative), provide:

  • CNPJ copy
  • Proof of legitimacy of the responsible persons/legal representative
    • showing the requester can make the registration request
  • Founding/formation documentation, such as:
    • charter, articles of incorporation, bylaws, or internal regulations
  • For cooperatives/associations:
    • copy of the membership book (or equivalent)
    • must list:
      • full names
      • CPF or CNPJ
      • date of affiliation

Step 4: Ongoing update rule for associations/cooperatives

  • Cooperatives and associations must keep member lists updated.
  • If membership changes by 10% or more, they must report the change to CAF.

Step 5: Course wrap-up instructions (post-lesson)

Learners are instructed to:

  • read support material about CAF Web
  • enter the course platform
  • follow the instructions in the study guide

Speakers / sources featured (as identifiable from subtitles)

  • Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) — presented as the creator of the video series
  • Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Farming (Brazil) — partnership/authority behind the series
  • INCRA (National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform) — mentioned as an example of a public CAF network entity
  • Law 11.326 (July 24, 2006) — legal basis cited
  • Decree 9.064 (May 31, 2017) — legal basis cited

Original video