Understanding the Reference Network for Family Agriculture Project from the Involved Subjects’ Social Representat

Abstract

The government of the state of Paraná, Brazil, launched in the 1990s the “Reference Network for Family Agriculture” Project in order to obtain methodological and technological development in the rural area. The project was developed through the participation of three subjects: Iapar (Paraná Agronomy Institute) researchers, rural extension leaders of Emater (Paraná Institute for Technical Assistance and Rural Extension), and farmers working in a familiar system. Current research reveals the social representations that each social group has with regard to the Project and, consequently, the network activities which they were developed. The Theory of Social Representations was employed for the above-mentioned qualitative and descriptive research. Analysis revealed several representations which, as a matter of fact, presented that the interviewed subjects have different points of view on the project. Results show that, taking into account the participation of the three subjects, the Project’s network organization exists in located sites and is related to the subject’s personal and subjective aspects that go beyond the network-proposed organizational structure.