Programa nacional de fortalecimento da agricultura familiar: o processo de (des) territorialização da agricultura de Nova Palma e Pinhal Grande/RS

Abstract

The National Program for the Strengthening of Family Farming (Pronaf), created in the mid-1990s, is a specific credit policy for family farming. The program was a landmark in the recognition of family farming and, in a little over twenty years of operation, it is present in virtually all Brazilian municipalities. In this sense, the present study aims to analyze the contribution of the National Program for the Strengthening of Family Farming, from 1999 to 2019, in the territorial development of Nova Palma and Pinhal Grande, located in the Fourth Colony of Italian Immigration of Rio Grande do Sul. Methodologically, the research stands out as mixed, of a descriptive and exploratory nature, carried out from the techniques of literature review, collection and analysis of secondary data and collection and analysis of primary data. Agricultural and socioeconomic data were collected from the sites of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and the Foundation for Economics and Statistics (FEE). A survey of Pronaf data, available at the Central Bank of Brazil, was also carried out. The primary data collection stage was based on semi-structured interviews and the application of questionnaires. Nine interviews were carried out with development agents from Nova Palma and Pinhal Grande, based on previously prepared scripts, recorded, transcribed and analyzed through content analysis. We also applied 18 questionnaires to family farmers from different communities in Nova Palma and Pinhal Grande who access Pronaf. The analysis of these questionnaires was done by grouping the answers. The field notebook technique was also used. The results highlight the significant role that Pronaf has played in the development of the territory. In the period from 1999 to 2019, R$ 844.7 million reais were accessed in credits in Nova Palma and Pinhal Grande, of this total 70.32% was destined to costing credit. As for the transformations that Pronaf is providing in the territory, the following stand out the expansion of the planted area and increase in productivity; improvement of the infrastructure of agricultural and cattle-raising establishments and acquisition of machinery, reducing the difficulty of work in the field; increase in the income of family farmers; financing of different crops and activities, such as milk production and agro-industries; strengthening of monoculture, especially soybean; increase in dependence on bank branches; increased participation of women in activities and in the management of agricultural establishments; changes in the landscape of the territory; reduction of community work and increased competitiveness among neighbors; loss of experiences and customs in the way of planting and harvesting due to the insertion of technology and mechanization; production aimed at commercialization; individualization of work; increased use of pesticides, direct planting, crop rotation, and use of soil corrective practices. This confirms the initial assumptions of the study, that Pronaf is partially contributing to the development of the territory. The program has been used to fund production, thus guaranteeing income and with it social reproduction, keeping the population in the field. However, it finances the monoculture of soybeans and corn, stimulating the production of commodities and with this, the loss of local characteristics of soil, relief, vegetation, as well as altering the relationship of man with the environment and the loss of cultural ties, of the know-how present in the territory.