Pronaf’s impact on the institutionalization of patterns: Analysis of the process of technological adoption in family farms at Marin

Abstract

The diffusion process of a Brazilian State program interested directly in the transfer of financial resources on behalf of the adoption of technical and managerial practices is analyzed in this paper. The purpose is to investigate in which way Pronaf (National Program for Family Farming Assistance) impacted on the institutionalization of modern technological patterns among small rural properties from Maringá region, Paraná state, during the period from 1997 to 2006. The issue refers to the verification of institutional assumption which proclaims favorably towards the use of coercion to reach institutionalization. Based on transversal research design with longitudinal perspective the elements investigated were separated in two main groups representing different periods and types of farmer’s relation with the program. Semi-structured interviews were used for collecting data, which were refined by means of qualitative content analysis using mainly categories of frequency and intensity. Such procedures made possible the comparison of farmer’s interpretative schemes. The findings presented some proximity between these in the groups indicating internalization instead of only formal adoption of patterns. The results also suggest that relational and cultural aspects of people’s contexts of reference should be considered when endurable results are intended by means of coercive diffusion.