Agricultura familiar e as tecnologias sociais no território do sertão produtivo: análise exploratória com foco no desenvolvimento rural

Abstract

Small and medium-sized rural properties in Brazil find it difficult to incorporate technological innovations due to their limited investment capacity and scale. This, added to differences related to land endowment, labor qualification, access to financial resources and credit, infrastructure, integration with cooperatives, agroindustry’s, organization of farmers and technical assistance, contribute to explain the heterogeneity in technological adoption among small and large rural properties in Brazil. However, social technologies have emerged as an alternative that allows farmers to innovate and fill part of the technology adoption gap. Social technologies occupy a space between traditional techniques and modern technology and can be integrated to create suitable solutions. Therefore, this work presented as a question, how locally relevant social actors who support family farming have been promoting social technologies so that they reach their potential for transformation and rural development? Thus, the present work has the general objective of analyzing the application of social technologies in family farming in the territory of Sertão Produtivo, located in Bahia, from the perspective of rural development. To achieve this objective, the work used a bibliographical review to understand rural development, family farming and social technologies, as well as a documentary review on the Sertão Produtivo identity territory. An exploratory study was also carried out, of the social technologies implemented in the Sertão Produtivo by means of participatory social leaders, using discourse analysis as a methodology for data analysis. As results found, the research identified that social technologies are an important technological tool in promoting rural development in the Sertão Produtivo, managing to generate occupation, income, opportunities for coexistence with the semi-arid region and positive environmental impacts. In addition, the importance of technical assistance, cooperatives, schools, and unions in promoting social technologies was demonstrated, while their performance is very limited in terms of the number of establishments served. As a contribution, it is hoped that this work may have presented a new perspective on the potential of rural development through social technologies, as well as presenting, through this exploratory study, the gaps that family farmers still face to develop their establishments. In short, it was possible to perceive that, despite the limitations, as research and the implementation of social technologies advance in the productive hinterland territory, we witness the transformation of lives, the overcoming of adversities and the resilience of entire communities.