A dimensão ambiental como objeto da ação extensionista na assessoria técnica, social e ambiental (ATES) do RS

Abstract

The environmental theme comes every day receiving attention and stands today as a challenge for public policy and an important variable to be considered in the projects of agrarian reform settlements and other rural enterprises. For areas reformed the technical assistance and extension, under the responsibility of INCRA, are challenged to incorporate this dimension into their agendas. Thus, this paper examines how environmental issues are being addressed in Technical, Social and Environmental Advisory Services (ATES) in RS, with reference to the goals and activities carried out by technical staff from January 2009 to January 2012. In the study we used methodological procedures and techniques of qualitative and quantitative research. A survey focuses all activities that were carried out by teams of ATES, launched in SAMA/INCRA system during the period January 2009 to January 2012, forming a sample of 30,834 collective events and 71,531 individual visits. As a result, it was found that, in general, the work done by teams of Technical, Social and Environmental Advisory Services (ATES) is characterized as environmental education, being important for raising the level of resettled farmers knowledge about environmental liabilities and environmental legislation, but limited in terms of practices conversion and environmental conflicts present themselves in the settlements. It was evident also that INCRA guidelines, elaborated to guide the work of ATES, put environmental issues on the agenda of the technical teams, but don t have influence in specific contents of collective technical events, over the different contracts ATES, nor contribute to the use of participatory practices appropriate to the environmental problems of the settlement reality.