AGRICULTURA FAMILIAR E O PROCESSO DE DIFUSÃO DE TECNOLOGIAS: O CASO DA CULTURA DO CAFÉ NO PROJETO DE ASSENTAMENTO DIRIGIDO PEDRO PEIXOTO, MUNICÍPIO DE ACRELÂNDIA, ACRE

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the process of diffusion of technologies in coffee production generated by agricultural research within the context of family farming, in agrarian reform settlement, in the state of Acre, western Amazon of Brazil. The survey was conducted with 31 family farmers established in the Managed Settlement Project Pedro Peixoto, in the area surrounding the municipality of Acrelândia. The collection of data in the field was accomplished through the use of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with subsequent use of the statistical software SPSS. The results indicate that the coffee culture is shaped as one of the elements of importance in the family agriculture of Acre, clearly demonstrating its relevance to the local socioeconomic development. At the same time, highlights a disconnection between the technologies generated by agricultural research and those actually adopted by family farmers, coffee producers. Moreover, there is the weakening of the actions of research and development for the coffee culture, parallel to the deficiency in the state action to promote, in a continuous manner, an agricultural policy that considers the full importance of this activity in family farming. The results indicate the need to implement new methodologies of agricultural research, recognizing the effective participation of the social actors at all stages. However there is a pressing state action to prioritize the technical assistance and rural extension services, also associated to new methodological models, which can generate mechanisms to optimize the process of diffusion of technologies in coffee production in the context of family farming.