Avaliação de um programa de difusão de tecnologia: o caso do Circuito Sul Mineiro de cafeicultura nas regiões Sul e Sudoeste do estado de Minas Gerais

Abstract

Aimingatthe maintenance ofprominence ofSouthMinas coffeeculture in the national scenario, the state of Minas Gerais by mean of its public institutions, nas created a regional development program which is as a formal charmel for diffusion ofinformation, innovations and technologies to meet me main problems concerning to regional coffee production. With that purpose, the Southern Minas Ambit ofCoffee culture was established, which intends to systematize andorganize meeting sin the área ofcoffee culture in the regkm, integrating the public institutions ofresearch, teaching and extension, private institutions and the coffee fàrmers in the search ofthe following òbjectives: to improve me qualiry ofcoffee, keep and create new employments, increase yield, reduce production costs and as a consequence improve the cofifee farmers' income. Nevertheless, in spite ofthe importance ofthat program oftechnology release as a subside for me solution ofthe problems concerning to coffee production ofthe Southern and Southeastern region ofthe state ofMinas Gerais, it has been evamated yet Therefore, this work was conducted with a view to evaluating the Southern Minas Ambit ofCoffee Culture, by taking into account a methodological approach oriented by different research methods as to the resuits achieved. By this research, it was stressed that the combination of quantitative andqualitative methods proved tobe a adequate andconmlementary approach to extract data andevaluate the program under focus. Also, evidence thatthe òbjectives stated by me Program were partialfy achieved, basing on the cofíee farmers' perceptions who are the direct users ofthe Program. It was found, in addition, that the òbjectives statedby the Southern Minas Ambit of Cofifee culture program are real problems fàced by the coffee farmers in the Southern and Southeastern regions ofthe state ofMinas Gerais.