This work emphasizes the importance of management for rural development, which is a crucial aspect for the viability of family farming development projects. This study brings together articles produced by post-graduate students in Sustainable Rural Development at the State University of Western Paraná - UNIOESTE. The papers present cases of overcoming obstacles faced by family farming, but also cases of experiences that were not so successful. As a positive experience, a case of solidarity economy in the west of Paraná is analyzed, as well as an agro-industry that benefits and sells organic products from family farming. These cases are contrasted with experiences that were not as successful as expected, where flaws in the management processes certainly contributed to the failure of these actions.