Privatização dos serviços de extensão rural: uma discussão (des)necessária?

The article analyzes and discusses the privatization of the rural extension services according to international literature. To start with, the subject is set in the horizon of the debate of the so called State Reform, which determined the agenda for the development since the 1980’s. Next, we show how the subject has been treated so far hav- ing the economic theory as background and we examine experiments of privatization at international level. The analysis of such experiments reveals that the early agenda for the privatization took for granted that the rural extension services − which were a responsibility of the State − would be held completely by the private sectors. However, a series of obstacles appeared and arguments for models of privatization in which the State has a main role spread over. Therefore, the exam of interna- tional experiments of privatization led to the conclusion that they fol- lowed different orientations. One set of experiments was oriented by the notion of the “Minimum State” while the other had for reference the State as a supporter for private action. The privatization is a current and relevant process and, therefore, the discussion about it is consid- ered necessary.本文基于国际文献，对农村推广服务的私有化进程展开分析与探讨。首先，本文将研究主题置于20世纪80年代以来主导全球发展议程的所谓“国家改革”辩论框架之中。随后，本文以经济学理论为研究背景，梳理该主题的既有研究脉络，并考察全球范围内的私有化实践案例。对上述实践的分析显示，早期私有化议程默认将原本由国家承担的农村推广服务完全交由私营部门负责。然而，一系列实践障碍随之出现，主张国家在私有化模式中发挥核心作用的论点逐渐获得广泛支持。因此，对全球私有化实践的考察得出结论：不同案例遵循了差异化的发展导向。一类实践以“最小国家（Minimum State）”理念为导向，另一类则将国家作为私营行动的支持者作为参照标准。私有化是当前持续推进且具有重要现实意义的进程，因此对其展开相关讨论具备必要性。