Dr. Sonia Maria Pessoa Pereira Bergamasco (The University of Campinas) Dr. Ricardo Serra Borsatto (Federal University of São Carlos )

Main research goals  To evaluate the relevance, effectiveness, sustainability, and impact of the National Policy for Technical Assistance and Rural Extension

 Step 1: A brief historical of rural extension services in Brazil  Step 2: The operational framework of the National Policy for Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (PNATER)  Step 3: The methodology adopted for the field work and data analysis  Step 5: Preliminary results  Step 6: Final considerations  Step 7: Next steps

The methodology adopted for the field work and data analysis

Monitoring public action in a network approach  We address the same level of importance while analyzing the role of state and non-state actors  A public policy analysis is based on a bottom-up approach (reality versus theory)  It is considered that in each sector of a public domain more than one network can be in operation simultaneously

Indicators' definition for the field research  Indicators can be considered as "a measure provided with substantial social significance"  The chosen indicators are based on the significant aspects from the point of view of values, principles and objectives of PNATER  The indicators adopted are the same that have been validated at a meeting of Ater Indicators Working Group organized by the Ministry of Agrarian Development (MDA) - which took place on 23 April/ 2008  Thus, it is considered that the indicators adopted in the research have relevance for policy managers

Indicators  a) Social and communitarian organization  b) Income  c) Life quality  d) Sovereignty and Food Security  e) Environmental Issues  f) Gender, generation and ethnicity  g) Pedagogical conception  h) Institution and professional staff  i) Access to natural resources  j) Relationship of Ater with other public policies  k) Technological and management resources

Questionnaires

 The questionnaire with the questions applied to the family farmers contains 57 questions covering the 11 indicators  Three questions are specific to indigenous and black communities  We also added questions that are part of the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale (EBIA)  The document with the questions applied to the technicians contains 50 questions, which also cover the 11 indicators  The document with the questions to be applied to the managers is mainly composed by open questions,

Number of applied questionnaires 1) Alto Jequitinhonha- Minas Gerais :  200 – family farmers  13 - technicians 2) Cantuquiriguaçu – Paraná  200 – family farmers  14 - technicians 3) Pontal do Paranapanema – São Paulo  200 – family Farmers  20 - technicians 4) Sudoeste Paulista – São Paulo:  200 – family farmers  19 - technicians 5) Vale do Ribeira – Paraná  200 – family farmers  12 - technicians

Data analysis Determination of the indicators weights (specialists) :  Social and communitarian organization – 3  Income – 2  Life quality – 2  Sovereignty and Food Security – 3  Environmental Issues – 3  Gender, generation and ethnicity -2  Pedagogical conception – 3  Institution and professional staff -3  Access to natural resources -1  Relationship of Ater with other public policies -2  Technological and management resources -1

Data analysis  Templates were developed that assigned grades ranging from 0 (zero) to 10 (ten) for each possible response in closed questions  Each question was linked to its respective indicator  Then, the sum of questions included in each indicator was compared to its fullest potential  The same applies to the determination of the indicators marks on the overall evaluation of the policy within the territory, respecting the relevance weights of Farmers – 3, Extensionists - 2 and Public managers - 1

Results

Main results

Relevance  The PNATER objectives remain valid amongst farmers and extension agents, however not fully acknowledge or accomplished.  The main reference present in the PNATER which is highly known by extension agents are related to Agroecology and its principles, however not as much appreciated by farmers. Final considerations

 Efficiency  The PNATER’s objectives are still poorly achieved. However, there is a considerable gain in comparison with the previous experiences of rural extension services in Brazil in terms of family farmers attended.  The main obstacle for achieving the goals of PNATER are related to the lack of staff for rural extension services and the overloading of the current staff, as well as to their instable work conditions in many territories and low wages.

 Effectiveness  The PNATER is highly cost-efficient in terms of the amount of public money invested and the number of families attended by the rural extension agents. However, it would be much more also in quality terms if there was more investment on staff and work conditions.  The multi institutional execution of ATER services can be also considered way more efficient then previous experiences of public services carried exclusively by the state, specially in poorer territories where the public institutions are usually less equipped and where the public services of ATER were extinguished in the 1990’s.

Impacts  As a direct result of the PNATER, the formation of a pluralistic national network of ATER occurred.  It was also a democratic mark for Civil Society, that since then can participate directly in the conception and execution of a public service. This has been fundamental to its reformulation during the past twelve years so it can become more suitable to the different realities of family farming in the country.  As to the familys farmers, for the first time they have been beneficiaries of an extension service built exclusively for them, which sets them in a different level from previous policies. Nowadays, they are no longer seem as “small scale farmers” in comparison to medium or large producers. In this sense, it has been a remarkable appreciation of this social category which has raised different views of rural development in civil society and government.  According to the MDA in average family farmers have been achieved by the PNATER. There are 5 million in the country.

Sustainability

Muchas Gracias!!!