The challenges of the formal insertion of family agriculture products into the market

Abstract

The Brazilian agri-food market is dominated by large national and multinational companies that create barriers to entry of products from family agriculture. Although the National School Feeding Program (PNAE) and the Food Acquisition Program (PAA), which reinforce food production at the same time, Brazil, as well as the set of public policies to support the commercialization of family agriculture . At the same time there is a restrictive regulatory framework which excludes part of the family farmers from the market. Even so, the country has a vast and diversified agri-food market, which is maintained based on a know-how passed on from generation to value, valued by consumers seeking differentiated and healthy products. The recognition of artisanal products is not a guarantee of easy access to the market; on the contrary, appreciation increases as difficulties due to enforcement pressures. In this sense, the present article aims to analyze the challenges faced by family farmers to formally enter the market in southern Santa Catarina. The methodological procedure adopted in the research is a description, based on documentary sources and interviews conducted with leaders of eight family farmer cooperatives in the southern region of Santa Catarina. The results show that the farmers are accessed through their cooperatives, as well as producing for their own consumption and marketing their products in traditional and institutional markets and, informally, in households and fairs.