Participatory Planning of Social and Spatial Organization in Agrarian Reform Policy in Brazil: An Assessment of the Implementation Challenges

Abstract

This paper examines the challenges of implementing participatory planning within Brazil’s agrarian reform policy, particularly under the second National Plan of Agrarian Reform (II PNRA). Beyond land redistribution, the plan emphasises marketing infrastructure, social support, and technical assistance. Linked with programmes such as PNATER and PRONATER, the approach seeks participatory governance through multi-level institutional cooperation between governmental and non-governmental actors. Focusing on agrarian reform projects in the Amazon, the study applies the Bloomington School of Institutional Analysis to assess the difficulties of sustaining institutional structures in complex socio-ecological systems. It highlights how socioeconomic inequalities, cultural diversity, weak social capital, and political disputes undermine effective governance and the safeguarding of collective resources.