Public policy for dairy production in the north-western region of Santa Catarina

Throughout its development, the Great West region of Santa Catarina has relied on agriculture as the foundation of its progress. In parallel to this, it can be seen that over the last few years the public sector has always been allied to this process. There are many municipal programmes, as well as exclusive public structures to serve and support producers in the most diverse municipalities. Particularly in the north-west of Santa Catarina: São Lourenço do Oeste, Novo Horizonte, Jupiá, Galvão, Coronel Martins and São Bernardino, together with the Community University of the Chapecó Region (Unochapecó, São Lourenço do Oeste Off-Site Unit), have set up a programme that is unprecedented in the country: the higher education course in dairy production technology, providing scholarships to their respective townspeople who work in this productive segment, with the aim of improving production levels, as well as, encouraging people to remain in the countryside. The aim of this study was to assess the prospects for expanding dairy farming once the course was set up in the region.