Reconnection between food production and consumption and the territorial policy of rural development in Brazil

Abstract

The traditional rural development strategies have disregarded the short circuits of commercialization, based on face-to-face interaction, in trust relationships between producer and consumer and attribute the market concept only to long circuits. Increasingly it is being recognized the importance of the reconnection between production and consumption of food in the academic, social and political spheres. This reconnection has direct repercussions on food security and sovereignty issues, both by the farmer and the consumer. It is noteworthy that in the construction and strengthening of these local circuits of production-consumption, the consumer's role is essential. Based on these considerations, we emphasize that although Brazilian Territorial Policy has contributed to the establishment or even the strengthening of short marketing circuits, this does not represent an explicit objective or principle of policy. Consequently, the consumer has been disregaded as a central actor in the territorial dynamics of rural development. It is intended to illustrate these observations from the analysis of official documents of the Sustainable Development of Rural Territories Program (Pronat) and the Citizenship Territories Program (PTC), the Territorial Plan for Sustainable Territorial Development (PTDRS) and the projects implemented in three rural areas and citizenship Located in the southern region of Brazil. As results, the study showed that, despite the territorial policy proposing the overcoming of the strictly sectorial horizon, the development dynamics implemented need to advance in this aspect, promoting a greater approach to the field-city and Producer-Consumer, which included the creation of institutionalities that supported such dynamic.