Representation of agriculture in water governance in São Paulo

Abstract The water resources management model in the state of São Paulo is characterized by the participation of water users from different sectors of the economy within the ambit of River Basin Committees and other organizations of the water management system. The purpose of this article is to present a survey and systematization of the performance of representatives of São Paulo’s agricultural sector in this decentralized and participatory system of water governance. To this end, this article recreates the profile of this sectoral representation in the State Water Resources Council and in the Committees for rural areas with strong agricultural dynamics in the state. The findings of this study reveal significant political and propositional differences between São Paulo’s agriculture and agroindustry sectors. Such differences have to do with the structure and capillarity of the entities that represent these sectors, as well as their divergent concept of management.