Potentialities and incongruities of the national rural housing program manifested in the implementation of the Quilombo Tabacaria I and II projects

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyse the potentialities and incongruities of the National Rural Housing Program (PNHR) through the lens of the implementation arena of the Quilombo Tabacaria I and II housing projects, which were responsible for constructing 100 housing units in Palmeira dos Índios (AL) between 2014 and 2026. This study adopts a qualitative, socio-historical approach to analyse the social processes that unfolded within the Quilombo Tabacaria during this period. Data collection and analysis were structured through a triangulation of techniques: (i) documentary analysis of the program’s regulatory frameworks; (ii) semi-structured interviews with Maroon (quilombola) leaders, managers, and beneficiaries; and (iii) participant observation in social mobilization processes, beneficiary selection, and the direct management of construction sites. The results indicate that, although the program exhibits structural deficiencies and fails to provide dwellings that fully encompass the multiple dimensions of the rural habitat, it proves capable of delivering quality housing equipped with social technologies, provided it is well-managed by organizing entities and representatives' commissions focused on leveraging potentialities and resolving the challenges inherent to implementation arenas