PUBLIC POLICIES AIMED AT THE PEASANTRY: SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS IN THE SANTO ANTÔNIO DO BELEZA SETTLEMENT, VILA RICA – MT

Abstract

This study aims to analyze how public policies have supported the socioeconomic affirmation of peasant families in the Santo Antônio do Beleza Settlement (Vila Rica, Mato Grosso, Brazil). The research adopts a qualitative approach, employing data collection, field research (interviews), and direct field observation conducted during five visits to the settlement between 2023 and 2024. Interviews and dialogues were carried out with ten families to identify the presence and effects of public policies and government actions (federal, state, and municipal programs). The methodological procedures included a historical survey of the settlement and its agro-village; productive mapping; infrastructure assessment; and identification of access to programs such as Bolsa Família, PRONAF/PRONAF A, Fomento, PAA, PNAE, Luz para Todos, and PNHR, among others. The results indicate that structural policies increased income, promoted food security, and strengthened family settlement. Electrification (2011) and the PNHR (since 2009) were key milestones; the school in the agro-village structured the territory and reinforced rural education. There is significant dairy production (approximately 10,000 L/day; 12 cooling tanks) and a diversity of food crops, as well as a women’s market and a community flour mill. The PRONAF Mulher program made progress, although still constrained by patriarchal and informational barriers. Social security rights such as maternity leave and retirement benefits were decisive. The materialization of these policies resulted from the articulation among federal, state, and municipal entities, whose combined efforts were essential for the existence and continuity of the peasant settlement.