CAJUÍNA BLENDS: SUSTAINABLE AGRIBUSINESS, FAMILY FARMING AND INCOME GENERATION FROM A PRODUCTION ENGINEERING PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

This study analyzes the relationship between sustainable agribusiness, family farming, and income generation from the perspective of production engineering, focusing on the organization of production systems and value addition. It starts from the understanding that, although family farming faces structural limitations, such as low production scale and technological constraints, it presents competitive potential when associated with differentiation strategies and efficient management. The research, which is qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive in nature, uses a case study applied to the productive model of Cajuína Blends as its basis, allowing for the analysis of value chain reorganization and the incorporation of transformation stages into the production process. The methodology is based on a literature review and theoretical-comparative analysis, articulating contributions from production engineering, economic geography, and rural sociology. The results show that the application of principles such as standardization, quality control, waste reduction, and production planning contributes to greater operational efficiency, even in small-scale contexts. In addition, adding value to the product enables greater economic autonomy and increased income, reducing dependence on the commercialization of raw materials. It is concluded that family farming can achieve competitive insertion in agribusiness when structured on the basis of appropriate management practices aligned with territorial specificities. In this sense, production engineering is configured as a strategic instrument for building a more sustainable, inclusive, and economically viable development model.