Juventude rural e as contribuições do projeto transformar de capacitação de jovens rurais no Sul de Minas (2006-2013)

Abstract

One of the main challenges for the rural environment is the continuity of the production of food and the formation of a new generation of farmers, given that the young abandon the property for not presenting the capabilities to exercise the profession. In this sense, the intent of this study was to analyze de results obtained from the Transform Rural Youth Training Project for keeping the young in the countryside and in family succession in Southern Minas Gerais, Brazil, aiming at subsidizing the establishment of new working strategies of rural extension with rural youth. The technical assistance and rural extension company in the state of Minas Gerais (Emater-MG), implemented the project “Transform” during eight years, encompassing the rural youth of between 16 and 29 years of age. With the objective of promoting critical, citizen and professional formation of rural young, 1500 rural young were capacitated in Southern Minas Gerais, in a theoretical and practical relation. Seeking to understand the reality in which rural young from Southern Minas Gerais live in, and to analyze in which way project “Transform” contributed for creating opportunities for better life conditions and for permanence in the countryside, we combined qualitative and quantitative studies. For this, we used bibliographical review and data collection by means of semi-structured questionnaires, survey of the situation of the egress to project “Transform”, as well as meetings with the egresses and with non-participants. First, the research recovers the debates concerning rural youth, problematizes the issue of youth migration from the countryside to the cities and after family succession. Subsequently, we present public policies created for rural youth, including the rural extension work done with this social category. We describe the study area, profile of the young subjects, factors that influence the migration or permanence of rural young in the countryside and the perspective of rural young. The result analysis allowed us to verify that most rural young from Southern Minas Gerais like to live in the countryside and intend to continue farming activities, but found difficulties in accommodating work and studies and obtaining their own income. The most relevant demands from the young are access to their own income, the land, education in/of the countryside and improving life conditions. In the last part of the paper, we present a few proposals and reflections to subsidize the establishment of new work strategies, highlighting the need for continuing the research on this theme. The study allowed us to characterize the rural young from Southern Minas Gerais and showed that project “Transform” brought several contribution in stimulating the development and socioeconomic insertion of rural young and their permanence in the countryside.