How can we minimize the difficulties faced in obtaining financing through PRONAF Mulher?

Responsible researcher: Viviane Pires Ribeiro

Article title: THE ROLE OF MEDIATORS IN WOMEN’S ACCESS TO PRONAF MULHER

Article authors: Anita Brumer and Rosani Marisa Spanevello

Location of intervention: Brazil

Sample size: 4 surveys

Sector: Gender

Type of Intervention: Women's access to PRONAF Mulher

Variable of main interest: Credit supply and demand

Assessment method: Other

Assessment Context

In 1996, the Federal Government replaced the Small Rural Production Valorization Program (PROVAP) with the Family Agriculture Strengthening Program (PRONAF) with a view to providing family farmers with conditions to increase productive capacity, create jobs and improve of income. In view of the reduced participation of women as beneficiaries of the Program, in May 2001 a decree from the Ministry of Agrarian Development (MDA) was established, which established the destination of at least 30% of the Program's credits for women. However, the target was not achieved, although female participation among credit borrowers increased.

  PRONAF Mulher was created in the 2003/2004 Harvest Plan and consists of additional resources destined for family investment projects that include activities to be developed by women. Initially PRONAF Mulher was operated only by Banco do Brasil, which lent R$ 2,540,609.00, corresponding to 469 operations (average of R$ 5,417.10 per operation) for women from families falling into Groups C and D. Of these operations , in the 2003/2004 harvest, 80.2% were concentrated in the southern region of Brazil. In the 2004/2005 Harvest Plan, 2,486 contracts were carried out, totaling R$21,585,505.00 loaned (average of R$8,282.83 per operation). Of these contracts, 78.4% corresponded to group C, 19.9% ​​to group D and 1.7% to group E. Regarding regional allocation, there was a better distribution of contracts when compared to the previous harvest, since 40, 2% of operations were carried out in the South region, 29.7% in the Northeast region, 17.8% in the Central-West region, 7.9% in the Southeast region and 4.4% in the North region.

Intervention Details

The institutional environment is an important aspect in the mediation process between the supply (by the Federal Government) and the demand for credit (by family farmers), being formed by extension agents, rural workers unions, fishing colonies and non-profit organizations. government, public and private mediators. This institutional environment may be responsible for a considerable part of the lack of obtaining financing, whether due to a lack of knowledge of the procedures or even the existence and characteristics of the financing. In this context, Brumer and Spanevello (2012) analyze the institutional environment of agricultural financing aimed at women in family farming in Brazil. The authors focus, in this institutional environment, on the mediators between the federal government and credit borrowers – mainly banks and rural extension agencies – who make it possible to understand the difficulties and obstacles that exist in the path of financing for family farmers, with emphasis on for women.

Methodology Details

To achieve the study proposal, Brumer and Spanevello (2012) present the history of PRONAF and the PRONAF Mulher credit line. Subsequently, the authors examine the institutional financing environment, based on results from three surveys carried out in the Northeast region (Romano; Buarque, 2011; Abramovay, 2002; Silva et al., 2006) and also in a qualitative research that the authors themselves carried out in the South region in 2009 and 2010. The data used in the previous research were collected through interviews with extension agents from rural extension agencies (EMATER and EPAGRI), bank employees responsible for rural credit, presidents of Rural Workers Unions and women benefiting from PRONAF Mulher nos states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul.

Results

 The research carried out by Brumer and Spanevello (2012) identified that the reasons for the difficulties in obtaining financing from PRONAF Mulher by women, according to the mediators interviewed, are due to the lack of professionals in the agencies to carry out economic feasibility studies of other activities. , in addition to those already carried out on the properties; the risk of women becoming indebted if the new activity does not become profitable or has a reduced consumer market; the lack of dialogue with women who demand credit, especially when their requests are directed by their husbands; difficulties in the relationship between female workers and male mediators and the lack of monitoring and technical assistance after credit release.

 Public Policy Lessons

To resolve the difficulties in obtaining financing from PRONAF Mulher due to the lack of professionals, Brumer and Spanevello (2012) emphasize that the mediators themselves state the need for a specific person to work with credit for women, paying attention to their expectations. and being able to work with alternative income generation projects, outside of traditional activities, and diversified within the same region, such as agro-industry of bakery, cheese, handicrafts, rural tourism, among others.   

Regarding the difficulties in the relationship between female workers and male mediators, the data reveal the tendency that, when the mediator is female, rural workers are less afraid of exposing their proposal or desire regarding the productive activity in which they are involved. would like to apply the credit. Furthermore, the female extension worker often facilitates the rural worker's search for information; has greater ease of communication or understands women's needs more easily, which is a positive point when accessing, and can effectively help with an autonomous project for women.

References : BRUMER, Anita; SPANEVELLO, Rosani Marisa. The role of mediators in women’s access to PRONAF Mulher. Anthropological Magazine, v. 23, no. 1, 2012.