To analyze the existing relationship between public policies and settlement projects for agricultural reform, we investigated the beliefs and the expectations of settlers as well as those of the Paraíba INCRA's technicians, in terms of public policies towards rural development, as regards settlement projects. The study group was made out of 4 INCRA rural development agents and 52 settlers, thus producing a sample of 56 members. The results showed that settlers and technicians believe that the parcel shape of the settlement organization runs better than the agro-villa format. Settlers say that they maintain a poor relationship with their neighboring small growers, while describing them as prejudiced people. The two groups of partakers believe that PRONAF brings few benefits, a higher difficulty in the way of payment and slowness in the approval of the projects and the liberation of resources, if compared to PROCERA, the previous program of credit. Settlers and technicians agree on attributing the role of technical assistance to the INCRA rural development agents, as regards the organization of agricultural and cattle raising activities, implementation of the association and cooperative settlement, and also in terms of social structure. However, partakers believe that the State should play such a role as to manage the required conditions towards a better running of the settlement.
agricultural reform; public policies; settlements