Políticas públicas e desenvolvimento rural: desafios para a implementação do Projeto São José nas comunidades assentadas do Ceará

Abstract

This work aims to identify the limitations for the implementation of a public policy for sustainable rural development in the state of Ceará, Northeast region of Brazil. This is the São José Project (PSJ), which is in its fourth phase with public notices aimed specifically at strengthening the organizations of family farmers with an emphasis on the market, water supply, social and productive inclusion and insertion of rural youth, with the aim of target organizations that develop productive activities, whether agricultural or not. For data collection and analysis, the information collected by the technical team hired to work on the project (diagnosis and monitoring) was used, which carried out a field survey with reference to 41 rural settlements distributed in 11 municipalities in Ceará, with the application of questionnaires and conducting individual interviews with the beneficiaries of the public policy in question. The results revealed that, although the contribution of the São José Project in the fight against poverty and aid in the social and economic development in the countryside has been significant since its elaboration, some social and cultural aspects are challenging in its current phase. In these terms, it was found that the main limitations for the implementation of the project in settled communities are weakened associativism; insufficient technical assistance; lack of knowledge or non-use of zootechnical control; and cultural resistance to the adoption of new technologies.