The territorial development in Brazilian Amazonia: the challenges of the governorship and the adapted development strategies in the Baixo Amazonia territory
BRAZIL, Pará, Baixo Amazonas Territory
Territorial development is increasingly recognized as an appropriate means to implement sustainable development which can improve the living conditions of rural populations, ensure balanced development and management of resources, and preserve the natural heritage. This type of balanced development is particularly relevant in the case of recent settlements and uncontrolled deforestation, in the Amazon, which led to an ecological disaster.
This is why the Brazilian federal government has designed an ambitious and innovative land policy that relies on the creation of rural territories which are managed and coordinated by an area college (le Codeter). The college is composed equally of representatives of organized civil society and public institutions.
CIRAD, with its strong expertise in regional development and its experience with networks in France and abroad, is committed to this approach and develops its activities this way, especially in the Amazon. This study, conducted in close liaison with the research center, fits into this framework. The study identify a number of ways of thinking and make proposals on territorial tools best suited to solve such matters efficiently and was tailored to the specific difficulties of this type of environment.
The Codeter of the Baixo Amazonas territory of Para faces many challenges including low power proposal that is currently the local civil society. Another major difficulty consists of the immensity of the territory. These two constraints alone make it difficult to apply the principle of subsidiary, which is a basis of territorial governance.
To overcome these difficulties, the Codeter developed, in collaboration with the State of Pará, a strategy that relies on municipal councils. These define strategic lines of action to reinforce the dynamics of local development which are the Local Productive Arrangements (LPA/LPS). These arrangements are currently at widely varying stages of development. Support tailored to each case must be implemented, which implies greater cooperation between players.
The Codeter must evolve and adapt and respond to challenges of territorial development. It should especially strengthen its internal operations and institutionalize its strategy through the development of the territorial development plan. New tools must be invented to give the network of the territory its effectiveness.
Key words:
Territorial development , local development, governorship, geographical proximity, organized proximity, LPS, LPA