Article: Which competencies and learning facilitate the involvement of local actors in territorial governance? The example of a Farmer University in Brazil Journal: International Journal of Sustainable Development (IJSD) 2008 Vol.11 No.2/3/4 pp.206 - 225 Abstract: Implementing decentralisation of public policies requires adequate governance devices, but local actors also need new competencies to get involved in the new devices. What are the competencies required, and how can they be built? This paper analyses a Farmer University in Brazil to see how the actors trained have been able to mobilise their newly acquired knowledge for territorial development. We formalised the learning process as the construction of human, social and institutional capital, which, when combined, enable local actors to play an active role in governance. Our evaluation analyses how the students have become involved individually in different organisations, and how the collective involvement of these actors in territorial governance has been possible through the creation of a student association. Although the learning process helped in building the actors| capital, several limits were identified, especially the difficulty in developing legitimate relations with other institutions in the territory. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: Which competencies and learning facilitate the involvement of local actors in territorial governance? The example of a Farmer University in Brazil

Authors: Emilie Coudel, Helene Rey-Valette, Jean-Philippe Tonneau

Addresses: CIRAD – Agricultural Research for Developing Countries, Departement Environnement et Societes, Campus international de Baillarguet, TA C 91/F, 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France. ' LAMETA Laboratoire Montpellierain d'Economie Theorique et Appliquee, Faculte de Sciences Economiques, CS 79606 34960 Montpellier Cedex 2, France. ' CIRAD – Agricultural Research for Developing Countries, Departement Environnement et Societes, Campus international de Baillarguet, TAC 91/F, 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France

Abstract: Implementing decentralisation of public policies requires adequate governance devices, but local actors also need new competencies to get involved in the new devices. What are the competencies required, and how can they be built? This paper analyses a Farmer University in Brazil to see how the actors trained have been able to mobilise their newly acquired knowledge for territorial development. We formalised the learning process as the construction of human, social and institutional capital, which, when combined, enable local actors to play an active role in governance. Our evaluation analyses how the students have become involved individually in different organisations, and how the collective involvement of these actors in territorial governance has been possible through the creation of a student association. Although the learning process helped in building the actors| capital, several limits were identified, especially the difficulty in developing legitimate relations with other institutions in the territory.

Keywords: Brazil; competencies; Farmer University; territorial governance; learning process; territorial development; sustainable development; sustainability.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSD.2008.026502

International Journal of Sustainable Development, 2008 Vol.11 No.2/3/4, pp.206 - 225

Published online: 17 Jun 2009 *

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Title: Which competencies and learning facilitate the involvement of local actors in territorial governance? The example of a Farmer University in Brazil

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