Pathways to Rural Sustainability: Opportunities and Challenges in the Creation of an Agrotechnological District in Ingaí City, Brazil

Author(s)

Paiva, Caroline Mendonca Nogueira ; Quintino, Derick David ; de Morais, Thacyo Bruno Custodio ; Cozadi, Elisa Guimaraes ; da Costa, Jaqueline Severino ; Leme, Paulo Henrique Montagnana Vicente ; Scolforo, Jose Roberto Soares

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: AGRICULTURE-BASEL; v. 14, n. 12, p. 21-pg., 2024-12-01.

Abstract

An agrotechnological district (ATD) integrates sustainable agricultural practices and technologies, aiming to transform rural communities by stimulating socioeconomic development and addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Inga & iacute;, a dairy-producing municipality in Minas Gerais, Brazil, stands to benefit from the implementation of an ATD. This study aimed to identify the opportunities and challenges for the implementation of an ATD in the municipality, considering its socioeconomic characteristics, the level of producers' technological adoption, connectivity infrastructure, support networks, and rural and market management. The method was based on an exploratory case study, using semi-structured group interviews for data collection, conducted in March 2024, with agricultural stakeholders. As a result, key challenges emerged: limited connectivity infrastructure; ineffective property management; rural family succession problems; barriers in accessing credit; resistance to the adoption of technologies; and dependence on the local government. Opportunities included the strengthening of support networks among the agents of rural productive activity; the promotion of technology adoption by producers; and creating training and rural extension programs. The adoption of these initiatives can stimulate Inga & iacute;'s economic and social development, generate multiplier effects in its region of influence, and serve as a model for other initiatives in the state of Minas Gerais, the main dairy hub in the country, and one of the primary drivers of Brazilian agribusiness. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 23/18452-7 - Socioeconomic impacts of the adoption of technologies by small and medium-sized producers
• Grantee: Derick David Quintino
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 22/09319-9 - Center of Science for Development in Digital Agriculture - CCD-AD/SemeAr
• Grantee: Silvia Maria Fonseca Silveira Massruhá
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Science Centers for Development
• FAPESP's process: 23/18453-3 - Socioeconomic impacts of the adoption of technologies by small and medium-sized producers
• Grantee: Caroline Mendonça Nogueira Paiva
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral