The objective of this study was to recognize and characterize the actions of the modernizing processes of agriculture and the alterations provoked in the family agriculture. Thus, we sought to analyze the implications that aglobalization of the Brazilian economy brought to the rural area, with an empirical reference to the rural area of the municipality of Ijuí, RS, Brazil. Considering as an element of analysis the use of natural resources, mainly land use, social resources, processes and production constraints that submit to the areas of rural family production units. The investigative model based on the methodological methodologies led to the study of the rural of Ijuí, as well as of a specific case. The variables referring to the study are of three categories: environmental, social and agricultural production. . However,