Rationality in rural extension organizations: Emater

Abstract

There is historically a deep concern on issues that involve technical assistance and rural extension and their importance as promoter to access new technologies and knowledge. Technical assistance and rural extension, which initially were government priority, emerge. Several discussions and postulations emerged to provide more significance and understanding of organizational rationality and its implications for extension activities. Current qualitative analysis studies the rationality used in rural extension organizations and the effects on extension activities. Based on a case study, EMATER, current study collected data by nine interviews, documents and direct observation, delineated from a detailed set of categories. Results employed classification, categorization and content analysis techniques. Results reveal that EMATER function primarily on presuppositions of a formal rationality. Public policies of technical assistance and rural extension have affected considerably EMATER's behavior from the point of view of its conception and its implementation.