Rice and soya in peasant strategies. Means of production and perceptions. The case of Cachoeira do Sul/RS, Brazil

Since the beginning of the 20th century, rice has increased in surface area and economic weight in southern Brazil, where the land and economy are favorable. Cachoeira do Sul, municipality of the central depression of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, is the symbol of the cereal which appears on the traditional plate: it is the national capital of rice which nevertheless has difficulty maintaining itself in the finages because over the last 50 years we have witnessed a relative decrease in rice production compared to soya. To understand the issues of this relationship between cereals and legumes, we use two distinct interpretative frameworks. The first part deals with spatial issues and takes into account the effects of location, access to water and land structures to explain crop distributions and technical choices. The second part corresponds to the identity issues which question the historical rice-growing vocation of the region faced with major changes