Tecnologias sociais para o desenvolvimento sustentável: um estudo em comunidades rurais do território Mato Grande Potiguar

Abstract

The difficulties found in the territory of Mato Grande Potiguar for the development of daily activities in rural areas, promote poverty and unemployment, of the small producer, leading to the rural exodus to the capital, Natal, and other regions of Brazil. Seeking to change this reality, the wind companies operating in this territory started a project in 2017 stimulating territorial development and boosting economic growth, through training to foster innovation through the dissemination of social technologies as an alternative for solving various economic problems , social and environmental. In this context, this Thesis collaborates and guides the understanding of new forms of social relations, land use and occupation, coexistence with the territory and the creation of businesses with social impact, answering a central question: To what extent do social technologies contribute for the sustainable development of rural communities in the Mato Grande Potiguar territory? The field research will be supported by a methodological basis that incorporates the quantitative reality of the profile of small rural producers and description of the territory, use of social technologies and mapping of businesses with social and qualitative impact, analyzing people's behavior, territorial transformation, its surroundings and the development of the territory. And yet, to analyze the perception of residents regarding the contribution of wind farms to the promotion of sustainable development in the Mato Grande Potiguar territory, which according to them is more disaggregating than aggregating, because it promotes economic growth, accelerating market efficiency, generating jobs and promoting new businesses, but social and environmental aspects are negative variables that deserve attention. The organization of the design of the impact value chain of the Theory of Change applied to rural communities in the Mato Grande Potiguar territory allows us to identify and analyze the relationship between what was planned and the results obtained in the measurements, thus considering that the constructed social technologies generate positive impact on rural communities and promote social, economic and environmental improvement. The technologies implemented on rural properties promote environmental awareness, capacity building - “I can do it”. The actions developed in rural communities served to reinforce the understanding that the adversities in the territory of Mato Grande are not limiting factors. And, social impact businesses are presented as a key instrument with a high potential for improving the living conditions of small rural producers. However, factors such as management knowledge, entrepreneurial vocation, lack of infrastructure to transport production, absence of credit policies for production and investments, making the consolidation of entrepreneurial activity fragile.