THE BASKET OF TERRITORIAL GOODS AND SERVICES APPROACH: ITS THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS AND APPLICATION IN BRAZIL

Abstract

The basket of territorial goods and services approach has been gaining influence as a guide to research about sustainable territorial development. In this context, the objective of this article is to discuss the theoretical framework of this approach, which was originally formulated based on the empirical reality of rural French territories, to then analyze its adoption in similar studies in Brazil. The methodology is based on a review of the literature, primarily from France, at the origin of the formulation of this approach, from the year 2000 until the middle of the past decade. The more recent bibliography about the theme is examined, including that from Brazil, to identify aspects that limit the use of this focus in studies about territorial development in this country. The basket approach analyzes the articulated supply of products and services, which give value to specific resources and assets of rural territories based on a system of governance constituted of public, and private actors as well as associations. This composition of factors results in the generation of a "territorial quality rent" that is appropriated by several productive segments and service providers in the territory. It is concluded that the use of this approach for social realities such as those in Brazil requires greater reflection on issues of social inclusion, generation of territorial quality rent that is not limited to raising prices of products and services, sustainability of development, systems of territorial governance that contemplate these aspects and institutional investments in the education of social actors about the art of sustainable territorial development.