O jovem rural e a profissionalização: desafios e perspectivas na educação

Abstract

Generational succession in Brazilian agriculture has emerged, in recent decades, as a growing challenge in light of the significant aging of the rural population and the increasing outmigration of young people from the countryside. These phenomena have been associated with declining rural fertility rates, urbanization, precarious educational policies targeting rural areas, and the absence of succession planning within agricultural properties. In this context, this chapter analyzed how technical vocational education, especially through integrated high school programs in the agricultural sector, could influence young people’s prospects of remaining in family farming, their participation in property management, and the adoption of sustainable agricultural technologies. The main objective of this section was to understand how technical training contributed to the professional development of rural youth, enhancing their chances of staying in the agricultural sector and assuming the succession of family-owned farms. The methodology combined quantitative and qualitative approaches, including the analysis of secondary data from the 2017 Agricultural Census, the 2022 Demographic Census, and international databases (such as the World Bank Group), in addition to a review of national and international literature. Statistical analyses were conducted using RStudio software and included normality tests (Shapiro-Wilk and Kolmogorov-Smirnov), Pearson’s correlation, chi-square tests, and Tukey’s HSD test, allowing the identification of associations between educational attainment, gender, and the adoption of agricultural practices. The results showed a strong positive correlation (r = 0.9567; p < 0.001) between higher levels of education and greater frequency of soil amendment and fertilizer use. Mean analysis revealed that producers with technical education exhibited similar rates of technology adoption as those with higher education, master's or doctoral degrees, indicating the effectiveness of technical training in providing practical and immediate qualification for farmers. Moreover, Tukey’s test revealed a statistically significant difference only between producers with elementary education and those with postgraduate degrees (p = 0.0455), reinforcing the association between higher educational attainment and more efficient use of agricultural inputs. Another relevant finding was the gender inequality in rural succession: men still accounted for 81% of producers, while women represented only 19%. However, among producers under the age of 25, women accounted for 30%, suggesting a potential trend toward increased female participation among younger generations. Nonetheless, cultural and familial barriers persisted, making it difficult to recognize women's work as a legitimate criterion for land succession. Technical vocational education played a decisive role in ensuring the qualified permanence of rural youth by equipping them to manage farms, promoting the modernization of agricultural practices, and expanding opportunities for financial autonomy. Furthermore, when combined with public policies such as income transfer programs, access to credit, and educational inclusion, technical education proved to be a powerful strategy to address structural gender and income inequalities, thereby ensuring a more equitable, innovative, and sustainable continuation of agricultural production.