Geotechnologies in the planning of rural settlements: premise for sustainable rural development

Abstract

Rural settlements in areas of land reform must present, in terms of the ordering of the physical space, the basic principles for sustainable rural development, which in other words are the adequacy of environmental, social and economical interests. The disorderly subdivisions or inadequate placement of any type of infrastructure can invalidate the economic and social activities of a settlement project, in addition to the environmental damage that it can cause. The present study approaches aspects related to the application of geoscience in the deployment of land reform projects, focusing on the importance of geotechnologies for the achievement of favorable environment conditions and sustainable rural development. Geotechnology perspectives in the context of rural settlements are discussed since despite the significant human and financial resources employed in the process, the results are not always satisfactory.