AGRICULTURA FAMILIAR E O CRÉDITO RURAL PRONAF (GRUPO B) NA ÁREA DE ABRANGÊNCIA DO BANCO DO NORDESTE – AGÊNCIA DE PAU DOS FERROS/RN

Abstract

The Rural Microcredit Pronaf was created in 2000, in the field of action of National Program for Strengthening Family Agriculture (National Program for the Strengthening of family agriculture, known as PRONAF).Such program aims to combat rural poverty and, therefore, it is directed at the poorest family farmers in order to make various productive activities in the countryside through the financing of agricultural and non-agricultural activities that can become a source of income for these workers. The present work has the objective of analyzing the impacts of this program on family agriculture, from farmers assisted by the Northeast Bank of Brazil, from the Pau dos Ferros/RN Agency. To complete this work, it was adopted, as methodological procedures, the theoretical and empirical studies, and the qualitative analysis of the data obtained through semi-structured interviews. Based on the research carried out, it is possible to affirm that the Rural Microcredit Pronaf contributes to the strengthening of family agriculture in the area of influence of BNB, from ​​Pau dos Ferros. However, it is notorious that credit itself is still not enough, given the various bottlenecks identified as the lack or inefficiency of technical assistance, illiteracy, dependence on social programs, and the lack of associativism.