Vivência extensionista no semiárido brasileiro, município de Gurjão, Paraíba: relatos sobre desenvolvimento regional sustentável?

Abstract

The report of an extension experience in the municipality of Gurjão, Paraíba, through university extension projects (UFPB/PROEX/PROBEX/UFPB in MUNICIPALITIES), along with partnerships such as UFCG/PROEX/PEASA, EMPAER, IFPB Sousa, Fundação Parque Tecnológico da Paraíba, Sebrae-PB, Instituto Lynaldo Cavalcanti, Prefeitura Municipal de Gurjão, EMEF Inácio Caluête, and ECIT Juarez Maracajá, highlights the importance of actions by universities and partner institutions in themes such as sustainable regional development, agroforestry systems, adapted livestock, recovery of degraded areas, water reuse, entrepreneurship, primary and secondary education. Specifically for rural properties, where students from EMEF Inácio Caluête assisted by the Programa de Educação Básica em Empreendedorismo Rural e Práticas Agrícolas Sustentáveis (PEER-PAS) reside, interviews were formulated and analyzed via Google Forms. After data and percentage studies, it was inferred that the municipality, to implement a sustainable regional development policy, needs greater investment in: support for property acquisition; water reuse; leisure; Youth and Adult Education (EJA); income incentives; entrepreneurship; associativism and cooperativism; commercialization; planning and management; good practices in organic plant and animal production; animal health; irrigation use; alternative forage sources; diversification of plant production; erosion control; organic matter management; use of natural extracts and sprays for phytosanitary control; regularization of Legal Reserves; improvements in animal product processing and legalization; and enhanced methods of plant extraction. It was concluded that sustainable development in the region requires integrated public policies, collaboration between universities, public authorities, and communities, land regularization, expansion of social technologies, and contextualized education. The experience demonstrated that combining local knowledge, academic innovations, and community participation can transform challenges into opportunities for inclusive and environmentally responsible growth.