Development and evaluation of an interactive information system in technical assistance and rural extension

The state of Espírito Santo has a wide diversification of rural activities, such as family agribusinesses and activities related to rural tourism. However, diagnosing the rural zone presents some challenges, such as the difficulty of access and location, long distances, and excessive costs, combined with the scarcity of human and financial resources inherent to public services. In this sense, it is necessary to restructure the communication and technical assistance and rural extension model established by public institutions to reinforce the trend towards the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools and the implementation of concepts such as e-government (e-Gov). In this context, we propose an interactive computational tool, focusing on diagnosing, planning, and addressing the different current demands the rural sector presents. To achieve this, we have developed a consulting and data analysis system that also employs artificial intelligence concepts, aiming to increase the efficiency and quality of public services in rural areas. The proposed system is called Agrolegal Ater Digital and includes functionalities such as registration, diagnosis, virtual library, event registration, news, and funding opportunities. The objective is to facilitate access to information for rural entrepreneurs regarding the public services offered and to increase the speed of communication with public agents. The results obtained through the conducted diagnoses are promising, with good acceptance from the test group regarding the proposed tool and the use of information technology in addressing requests in rural areas.