AGROINDUSTRY AND TERRITORIAL GOVERNANCE AS VECTORS OF DEVELOPMENT: THE CASE OF THE FUNCTIONAL MICROREGION OF TRÊS RIOS (RJ)
Regional Development. Minimum Processing Agroindustry. Workforce Qualification. Institutional Arrangement.
This dissertation analyzes the potentialities and obstacles to regional economic development in the microregion of Três Rios, Paraíba do Sul, and Comendador Levy Gasparian, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Starting from the diagnosis of a structural stagnation marked by low relative productivity and by the underutilization of land, the work identifies the agricultural sector as a promising vector for a virtuous cycle of growth. The theoretical framework, based on Myrdal, Kaldor, the Export Base Theory and Local Productive Arrangements, provides the logic to understand the dynamics of cumulative circular causation in the region and to strategically support the proposed intervention. The study evaluates the feasibility of the development project proposed by De Paula et al. (2025), articulated in three main axes: 1) the qualification of the workforce; 2) the implementation of a Minimum Processing Agroindustry (APM) to add value to local production and to function as a school-industry; and 3) the structuring of an institutional arrangement that suggests commercialization through institutional markets, notably the National School Feeding Program (PNAE). The conclusion points out that the proposal is strategically solid and theoretically grounded, with great potential to function as a growth pole by generating productive linkages, increasing local income and retaining the population in the territory. However, its economic viability is conditioned on overcoming challenges of scale and operational efficiency of the APM, and its success depends on the construction of cooperative intermunicipal governance and a hybrid management model that unites family farmers, public authorities and educational institutions in a territorial pact for sustainable development.