The livestock species play very important economic and socio-cultural roles for the wellbeing of rural households, such as food supply, source of income, asset saving, source of employment, soil fertility, livelihoods, transport, agricultural traction, agricultural diversification and sustainable agricultural production. The aim of this work was to identify and characterize the different roles that livestock and livestock species play in rural communities of Timor-Leste, highlighting the importance of animal production for the wellbeing and rural development, and relate the functions performed by livestock production with economic, social and cultural attributes of the communities. The data used in this study were collected in 2011 through a questionnaire survey in three rural communities in the district of Bobonaro, namely in a mountain area, an irrigation plain and a coastal zone, and were complemented with secondary data. Livestock production in Timor-Leste is predominantly familiar being chickens, pigs, goats, cattle, horses, buffaloes and sheep the main species. Beyond the economic function, each livestock species also performs social and cultural functions.

A proposição deste estudo foi identificar e analisar o capital social tangível e intangível de comunidades beneficiadas com os recursos do Programa de Combate a Pobreza Rural -PCPR/Projeto São José no Estado do Ceará. Os dados são originários de entrevistas diretas com beneficiários e líderes de comunidades onde foram implantados subprojetos de abastecimento de água, ação fundiária, eletrificação rural e mecanização agrícola. Determinou-se o índice de capital social para cada subprojeto. Os resultados indicaram que as associações possuem um nível médio de acumulação de capital social e que os recursos aplicados pelo PCPR/PSJ contribuíram para avançar na acumulação deste capital nas associações e/ou comunidades. | The objective of this study was to identify and analyze tangible and intangible social capital of benefited communities by the resources of rural Poverty Reduction Program in the State of Ceará. Data were obtained by interviewing individuals and leaders of communities benefited by projects such as water supply, land reform, rural electrification and agricultural mechanization. A social capital index was built for each type of project. The results indicated that communities have medium level of social capital accumulation and resources supplied by this program contributed to increase social capital in these communities.