Conception and structures needed for public research and rural extension to support the agroecological transition in Minas Gerais

Abstract

The Agriculture and Livestock Research Enterprise of Minas Gerais and The Technical Assistance
and Rural Extension Agency of Minas Gerais (EMATER-MG) were created to enable
the modernization of Brazilian agriculture based on the green revolution model. Such modernization
brought negative social, economic and environmental impacts for familiar agriculture.
In contemporary rural Brazil, conception and structure changes are needed to meet the
demands of family farmers in an agro-ecological transition perspective. The aim of this report
is to contextualize the structure and dynamics of agricultural research and extension systems
of Minas Gerais and to point out indications for their restructuration, within the framework of
the agro-ecological transition. We report recent achievements in the State, such as creation
of Programa Estadual de Pesquisa em Agroecologia da EPAMIG, Núcleos de Estudos em
Agroecologia (NEAs) the realização do “Seminário Dialogar para Transformar: Diretrizes para apoio a pesquisa em Agroecologia, Agricultura Familiar e Urbana e Povos e Comunidades
Tradicionais de Minas Gerais” with support from FAPEMIG. We concluded that there is a need
for studies on the structures of EPAMIG and EMATER-MG, their roles in family farming in
Minas Gerais and the disarticulation between research and extension, considering its consequences
for family agriculture and the agro-ecological transition. We highlighted the need for
grants to support the Study Groups in Agroecology the research in Agroecology.