Educação do campo e a construção de trajetórias de jovens rurais no Alto Jequitinhonha, MG

Abstract

The term “youth” bringswith it intense debates about what this period of people's lives means, which can be an age group or a set of social characteristics. In this article,rural youths were considered as a social category built from diverse experiences. Therefore, it was necessary to understand the context in which they are inserted: most of them are young family farmers who play a decisive role in the social and financial reproduction of the family unit to which they belong. Based on this reality, rural education became an opportunity for training for rural youths by developing skills both in the chosen higher education course and in the field work.In order to investigate the relationship between Rural Education and the possible trajectories of rural youth in Alto Jequitinhonha, a study was organized with students and graduates of the Escola Família Agrícola de Veredinha (EFAV), Vale do Jequitinhonha Mineiro. Thefield research was carried out using a quantitative and qualitative approach carried out in two phases: documentaryresearch and semi-oriented interviews. The sample was organized by the municipality of origin of the students and alumni, covering the municipalities with the greatest representation: Tourmaline, Veredinha, Minas Novas, Capelinha and Chapada do Norte. Theinterviews revealed a strong relationship between the skills developed at EFAV and the students' professional perspectives: 75% of the interviewees intend to attend colleges in the area of Agricultural Sciences, Veterinary or Animal Science; while 81.25% of graduates remained in Alto Jequitinhonha, although professional activities are diverse. Training in agricultural technicians, provided by EFAV, strengthened a sense of belonging, a desire to continue in the field and develop agricultural activities, butwith training that goes beyond technique and allows the development of diverse skills.