O café e a formação econômica paulista: o caso do município de Araras (1904-1905)

Abstract

The present work seeks to analyze the coffee agricultural formation in the state of São Paulo, focusing on the case of Araras in the period between 1886 and 1905. Approaching topics as what is the impact of the coffee complex on the socioeconomic formation of the city of Araras in the beginning of the century XX, the importance the immigration flow in the process of agricultural formation and agricultural transition in the state and how the coffee crises impacted the agricultural distribution of Araras. Through the analysis of data from the Agricultural and Zootechnical Statistics of Araras in the Agricultural year 1904-1905 provided by the Secretary of Agriculture, Commerce and Public Works of the State of São Paulo, it is possible to analyze and make attestation regarding the process of formation of the coffee complex in the state of São Paulo and referring to the case of the municipality of Araras in the period between 1886 and 1905. It is possible to observe that the formation of the coffee production structure attracted the immigrant who at first met the needs of manpower but was also extremely importance in the formation of the urban center, mainly in the supply of supplies for the local population through commercial establishments and with the production of other agricultural products. The results indicate that there was a trend of productive decline of coffee in the city of Araras at the beginning of the 20th century, which is possible to identify through the data analyzed in the agricultural year of 1904-1905, originated among other factors by triggering the crises of coffee overproduction, fall of the international price of coffee and the aging of plantations, this observation is also evidenced by the movement of fragmentation of agricultural land and the transition from monoculture to polyculture, often carried out by new foreign owners.