Política pública de assistência técnica e extensão rural: programa de fomento às atividades produtivas rurais no RS, TED N°22/2023

Abstract

This paper is dedicated to the study of the public policy of Technical Assistance and Rural Extension in Brazil, policies that aim to improve the living conditions of populations in rural areas, while simultaneously promoting the modernization of agriculture through diversified technological and assistance-based approaches. These policies include guidance on sustainable planting, harvesting, and care practices, with the aim of benefiting rural populations and promoting a sustainable improvement in quality of life. The paper focuses on the development of the Fomento Rural program MDS/MDA/UNIPAMPA/INSTITUTO PADRE JOSIMO TED No. 22/2023, which aims to assist in the structuring of rural families in situations of extreme poverty in Rio Grande do Sul. The goal is to identify the needs of rural families for public policies that can promote sustainable development, food security, and sustainability of production systems, while seeking ways to eradicate rural poverty. The paper emphasizes that this is a problem to be faced by governments, organizations, and society as a whole. To conduct this research, a qualitative study was carried out based on specialized bibliographies (Public Policies; Technical Assistance and Rural Extension in Brazil), from which an interpretative analysis of such materials was performed. The historical process of the creation of public policies, their cycles, and a chronological line of the implementation of rural extension policies in Brazil were outlined, emphasizing inequality in rural areas. The paper seeks to show the growing concern with the Brazilian rural poverty scenario, which affects millions of people, and the application of public policies designed to overcome rural poverty, in order to understand how these policies can directly impact the socioeconomic conditions of Brazil’s rural populations. Furthermore, in July 2024, the Interdisciplinary Group for Rural Development Studies (GIEDER), consisting of students and professors from the Federal University of Pampa, Itaqui Campus, carried out a fieldwork visit to 25 families benefiting from the Fomento Rural program. The objective was to monitor the implementation of the project and contribute to the improvement of the policy applied to rural development, collecting data through semi-structured interviews and surveys to understand the effects of the first installment of the program. The aim was to gain a comprehensive view of the socioeconomic, productive, and environmental conditions of the families involved. In summary, the analysis highlights that TED No. 22/2023 becomes an example of a public policy instrument aimed at addressing the difficulties faced by families in rural areas. The strategies outlined by the program’s coordinators appear to be favorable to the families visited by the UNIPAMPA team, with improvements in family nutrition, savings, and productivity observed. The program’s strong influence on increasing income from rural productive activities was noted, as well as the challenges in implementing this program.