Contribuições da extensão rural para o desenvolvimento rural sustentável: um estudo de caso no COREDE médio Alto Uruguai, RS

Abstract

The loss of the biodiversity, the modification of the natural spaces and the climatic changes are examples of the reflections that make the concern with the promotion of the sustainable development flourish. One of the activities that is directly related to the consumption of natural resources is the agriculture, this way the search for alternatives that minimize this impact is emerging. The search for more sustainable development alternatives is a reality in the rural areas, even in a more punctual way, the Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (Assistência Técnica e Extensão Rural – ATER), has much contributed for the diffusion of techniques and inovations. It was only after the creation of the National Policy of Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (Política Nacional de Assistência Técnica e Extensão Rural – PNATER) that the ATER’s objectives have turned to the Sustainability. The rural extension in Brazil historically assumes a public and free character, having its origin related to the agriculture industrialization process with the intensification of the productive activities. A counterposition and differentiation between the ATER is addressed, understanding the Technical Assistance as an exact tool related to a specific problem, mainly of production, now the rural extension assumes a broad character based on the theory of the complexity and a pedagogical bias of non-formal education. This research has the objective of analyzing and describing the main potentials and limitations of the ATER in the Médio Alto Uruguai Region, in terms of promoting the sustainable rural development. The present case study was developed through explanatory and exploratory research in the CODEMAU – Corede (Regional Development Council) Médio Alto Uruguai region, which is composed of 22 municipalities and approximately 15.336 rural establishments. 207 families from 22 municipalities were interviewed, and ten experts in rural extension, after collecting the data through the interviews, the data were systematized with the aid of computer programs such as Excel and Bioestat 5.3. The results show that 90.8% of the interviewed families perceive the agriculture as a viable option, 98.5% believe that the rural extension is an important tool, in the promotion of the DRS. It can be inferred that the rural extension developed by official state institutions (Emater/RS-Ascar), in the Médio Alto Uruguai Region, has a very expressive performance and capillarity, because 91.3% of the interviewed farmers consider Emater-RS/Ascar to be the institution that develops ATER in the region. However, data indicate that the term ATER, for farmers, can be related to various services, assuming the educational character of rural extension and the technical and productive character of technical assistance. It is possible to verify here, that there is a need to better dialogue this issue between the institutions and the farmers, due to the lack of clarity between the terms, expressed by the interviewees and at the same time. due to the admission that there are differences, which should be better understood. In the studied region, there is a clear trend towards segmentation and differentiation in the form of ATER service provision, reserving the private sector, intensifying the provision of focal Technical Assistance and Emater-RS/Ascar, the most intensive development actions Rural Extension itself. The strengthening of the institutions that provide public ATER is fundamental, especially when taking into consideration that the family farmers are the target public of ATER services in the region.