A política de assentamentos rurais do governo do estado de São Paulo, conduzida pela Fundação Itesp, possui um serviço de assistência técnica e extensão rural (ATER) próprio, pensado para atender às demandas específicas de seu público. Este artigo procura verificar se o serviço de extensão rural da Fundação Itesp corresponde às expectativas dos agricultores assentados e se características socioeconômicas interferem nesta apreciação individual. A pesquisa foi realizada nos assentamentos rurais Santa Rosa e Rancho Grande, situados no Pontal do Paranapanema - SP. Primeiramente foram realizadas entrevistas qualitativas com assentados selecionados por amostra intencional para obtenção dos parâmetros de avaliação do serviço de ATER. A partir deste material elaborou-se um questionário com questões objetivas e diretas que foi aplicado a uma amostra aleatória maior, da qual se obteve as apreciações individuais. A análise estatística de correspondências múltiplas, seguida da classificação hierárquica ascendente, indicou a existência de sete grupos homogêneos de agricultores assentados, evidenciando a influência das características socioeconômicas nas apreciações feitas. Observou-se a existência de grupos satisfeitos e insatisfeitos com os serviços de ATER, o que demanda flexibilização das abordagens da Fundação aos distintos públicos existentes nos assentamentos.
The policy of São Paulo State Government rural settlements, conducted by the Itesp Foundation, has its own technical assistance and rural extension service, brainstormed to attend its public specific demands. This article seeks to check if Itesp’s rural extension program satisfies its settled beneficiaries and if social-economic characteristics interfere in this individual judgment. The research was drawn at Santa Rosa and Rancho Grande settlements, Holy Rose and Big Ranch, respectively, both located at Paranapanema Pontal - SP, Unfortunate River Branch, according to native language. At first interviews concerning quality were conducted amongst settlers, selected intentionally to obtain evaluation parameters of ATER’s service. Elaborated with these results, a direct and objective questionnaire was applied to a larger random sample, from which individual appreciations were attained. The statistical analysis of multiple correspondences, followed by ascendant hierarchic classification, indicated the existence of seven homogenous settler groups, demonstrating the influence of social-economic traits in individual ratings. The existence of settlers both satisfied and unsatisfied with ATER’s service was noticed, which demands more flexible approaches by the Foundation towards divergent beneficiaries

In Brazil, the Mantiqueira Range, southeastern region, shelters the last remnants of the ecologically important Upper Montane Tropical Forest. since extensive exploration that has been taking place in this biome for decades, the influence of land-use changes on hydropedology in these areas must be investigated once major land-use changes have been observed. This study aims to evaluate the land-use influence on soil drainable porosity (SDP) in a headwater watershed located in the Mantiqueira Range region, and to validate the proposed methods based on micromorphological and hydrological indicators. The native vegetation of the study area is Atlantic forest that occupies 62% of the area, and the remaining 38% has been used for pasture. Thirty nine combinations of environmental variables were tested, each one generating a map for predicting SDP. The performance of the spatial prediction of SDP was assessed using 20% of the data from the total number of samples collected throughout the watershed. The least values of SDP are due to the process of removal of native forest and replacement by pasture. Areas with high to moderate SDP are associated with native forest fragments demonstrating the effects of the Atlantic Forest on the water infiltration and groundwater recharge processes, given by the greater contribution of baseflow in a forested catchment located within the studied watershed. The analysis of soil micromorphological images provided useful supporting information on the soil porosity system and along with hydrological properties of the watershed helped understand the SDP behavior on subsurface and groundwater storage capacity. Index terms:Upper montane tropical forest; ecological services; mapping modeling; geomorphons. RESUMONo Brasil, a Serra da Mantiqueira, abriga um dos últimos remanescentes da Floresta Tropical de Altitude. Devido a grande exploração que vem ocorrendo neste bioma há décadas, a influência na hidropedologia decorrente das mudanças do uso do solo deve ser investigada. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a influência do uso do solo na porosidade drenável do solo (PDS) em uma bacia hidrográfica localizada na região da Serra da Mantiqueira e validar os métodos propostos com base em indicadores micromorfológicos e hidrológicos. A vegetação nativa da área de estudo é a Mata Atlântica que ocupa 62% da área, e com os 38% restantes utilizados para pastagem. Trinta e nove combinações de variáveis ambientais foram testadas, cada uma gerando um mapa para predizer a PDS. O desempenho da predição espacial da PDS foi avaliado utilizando 20% dos dados do número total de amostras coletadas em toda a bacia hidrográfica. Os menores valores de PDS são devidos ao processo de remoção de floresta nativa e substituição por pastagem. Áreas com altos a moderados valores de PDS estão associadas a fragmentos de florestas nativas que demonstram os efeitos da Mata Atlântica nos processos de infiltração de água e de recarga de água subterrânea na região da Mantiqueira, dada a maior contribuição do fluxo base em ...

In the past, agriculture was directed to satisfying human needs. Nowadays, it is directed to meeting the markets, forcing the peasantries to adapt to this condition. As a result, family farmers are multifaceted, incorporating both subsistence and market-oriented production. Traditional farming systems have been challenged since there is a pressure for the intensification of these systems. Then, it is important that scientific research about them goes on to recognize that many family farmers use limited resource bases. However, innovation and intensification are permanent needs of agriculture, although they must be adjusted to different contexts, respecting the cultural legacy of family farmers as a prerequisite for achieving the development. RESUMONo passado, a agricultura era direcionada para satisfazer as necessidades humanas. Hoje em dia, é direcionada para atender os mercados, forçando o campesinato a se adaptar a essa condição. Como resultado, os agricultores familiares se tornaram multifacetados, incorporando tanto a produção de subsistência quanto aquela orientada para o mercado. Os sistemas agrícolas tradicionais foram desafiados, uma vez que existe uma pressão para a intensificação desses sistemas. Então, é importante que a pesquisa científica sobre eles continue para reconhecer que muitos agricultores familiares usam bases de recursos limitadas. Contudo, inovação e intensificação são necessidades permanentes da agricultura, embora elas devam ser ajustadas a diferentes contextos, respeitando o legado cultural dos agricultores familiares como pré-requisito para alcançar o desenvolvimento. Termos para indexação: Sistemas agrícolas; sustentabilidade; agricultor familiar; capitalismo; produção de alimentos.

Land use capability is one of the most widespread technical-interpretative classification systems, however, regional adaptations may be necessary because different attributes may affect it. For these adaptations, the Minas Gerais soil map was used as the starting point for this study. The criteria to define the land use capability were adapted to management levels with small (level A) and medium (level B) application of capital and modern technology (level C). The aim of the present study was to map land use capability for Minas Gerais state, Brazil, following the criteria adapted to different levels of management and measure the accuracy of the resulting maps. The system of land use capability is widely used by INCRA in evaluations of rural properties. Erosion criterion was replaced by erodibility. The information was handled in a geographic information system. For validation, soil profiles from regional pedological surveys were sampled, classified, and its land use capability was compared to the land use capability shown on the map according to the different management levels. In spite of the small scale of the soil map, the maps of land use capability exhibited adequate accuracy: 73% (management level A), 71% (B), and 50% (C). Therefore, it can be applied in initial phases of regional planning studies, in which the level of details required is reduced (for example, in ecological-economic zoning). More detailed analyses still depend on detailed field surveys, as advocated by the system of land use capability.

Land classification assists in identifying optimal crop selection for a given field, and land use capability gives an indication of potential agronomic productivity. However, these approaches are most germane to farming systems managed with high technology. This study sought to adapt land use capability to farming systems managed with low and intermediate levels of technology. Assessment of the classification criteria was conducted using erosion data as a primary indicator. The adapted (and currently in effect) criteria were compared in three regions in Minas Gerais, Brazil, each one representing one of the management levels. Erosion often results from inappropriate practices in land use or management. Therefore, maps of adequacy of land use and management were used to measure how well each one corresponded to the erosion map. The adapted criteria changed the spatial distribution of the classes of land use capability in different ways. Correspondence between the land use/management map and the erosion map increased from 71% to 88.5% when the criteria adapted to an intermediate level of management were used. It also increased from 62.9% to 66.7% when the criteria adapted to a low level of management were considered, better reflecting current erosion. Therefore, adopting adapted classification criteria is recommended for planning land use in locations where farming systems with low and intermediate levels of management are common, requiring re‐adaptation and reassessment depending on socio‐environmental factors.