Produção de leite em sistema não convencional para fabricação de Queijo Minas Artesanal da Canastra no município de Medeiros-MG: estudo de caso

Milk production has increased over the years, and with it the demand from the population for more natural foods and systems that respect the environment and prioritize animal welfare. In this way, organic production, in addition to meeting social demands, is an alternative to adding value to the final product, benefiting rural producers. However, the lack of technical assistance and cost-benefit have been the main obstacles for producers to carry out the conversion. The Serra da Canastra microregion stands out in the production of milk and cheese, with family farming being the region's greatest characteristic. This work aimed to characterize the production of organic milk on family properties in the Canastra microregion in the municipality of Medeiros-MG through a checklist, which raised topics such as property and production, facilities and milking, health, improvement, food and water. Furthermore, relevant issues such as those related to technical assistance, producer profile and the advantages and difficulties faced by producers when adhering to this system were observed. Milk from the property was also collected and analyzed, which meets the quality parameters established by Normative Instruction 76/2018. Therefore, as a final result, it was observed that despite the producer being inspired by organic production, adopting agroecology and biodynamics as a lifestyle and part of the creation system, it is still classified as conventional as it does not meet all the required standards. by legislation to have certification. To make the conversion process more accessible to small producers, more studies are needed to facilitate access to information and lead to an increase in rural assistance.