(In)segurança alimentar e agricultura familiar: políticas públicas como estratégia de superação da fome

32 milhões de brasileiros sofriam com a fome na década de 1990. Para dirimir este problema a implantação de políticas públicas de fomento à agricultura familiar no País foi uma das ações mais eficazes. Desde 2015, os recursos destinados a tais políticas reduziram drasticamente, gerando descontinuidade no fornecimento de alimentos a entidades e usuárias(os) dos programas, perdas na renda de agricultoras(es) e insegurança alimentar, situações agravadas com a pandemia de Covid-19. Partindo dos conceitos de segurança alimentar, agricultura familiar e políticas públicas, este artigo objetiva compreender os rebatimentos do desinvestimento das políticas públicas e da pandemia no cotidiano de agricultoras(es) familiares de Barbalha-CE. Prosseguiu-se com o exame de documentos públicos, entrevistas, observações e conversas no cotidiano com agricultoras(es), cujos dados foram compreendidos a partir da análise de práticas discursivas. Os resultados assinalam dificuldades das(os) trabalhadoras(es) em acessar serviços públicos, produzir, comercializar e garantir a segurança alimentar de suas famílias.Alternate :32 million Brazilians suffered from hunger in the 1990s. To solve this problem, the implementation of public policies to promote family farming in the country was one of the most effective actions. Since 2015, the resources allocated to such policies have drastically reduced, generating discontinuity in the supply of food to entities and users of the programs, losses in the income of farmers and food insecurity, situations aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on the concepts of food security, family farming and public policies, this article aims to understand the repercussions of the divestment of public policies and the pandemic in the daily lives of family farmers in Barbalha-CE. We continued with the examination of public documents, interviews, observations and daily conversations with female farmers, whose data were understood from the analysis of discursive practices. The results point out the difficulties of the workers in accessing public services, producing, marketing and guaranteeing the food security of their families.

Reflections of the Covid-19 pandemic on the acquisition costs of agricultural inputs: an empirical investigation using the Total Cost Ownership methodology

The Covid19 disease, resulting from contamination by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, impacted on the economy, especially in the agricultural sector, which has become more susceptible to these impacts through the rise in costs that are not easily perceived. This study aims to analyze the impact on input acquisition costs, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, in small family farms, from the perspective of the Total Cost Ownership (TCO) methodology. The methodology used in this research was a case study in 12 family farms, located in the southern region of Brazil, with data collected from April 2017 to March 2020. Four inputs common to all properties were analyzed. The results showed that there was an increase of 39.47% in the acquisition costs of inputs and a weighted average increase of 34.7%, which had a negative impact on the monetary result of family properties. It was concluded that the properties were affected by the effects of the pandemic with regard to the purchase of inputs, mainly with an increase in acquisition costs, due to the shortage of essential supplies for the basic operations of small rural properties. © Este é um artigo publicado em acesso aberto (Open Access) sob a licença Creative Commons Attribution, que permite uso, distribuição e reprodução em qualquer meio, sem restrições desde que o trabalho original seja corretamente citado.

Fair in the Palm of Your Hand: a digital platform for the direct sale of family farming products. (Special Issue: Saberes agroecologicos e sistemas alimentares na America Latina e Caribe.)

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, commercial relations have undergone many changes. The advancement of digital technologies that allow instantaneous and real-time communication regardless of geographical distance have changed several daily activities, among them, the way of buying and selling. In the case of agriculture, the direct sale of agricultural products to final consumers, through social networks, emerges as a new form of rural business. However, the encounter between interested parties occurs, most of the time, informally, and it is up to producers and consumers to "meet" in order to sell and buy. In this context, the Fair in the Palm of Your Hand project aims to act as an agent between these two ends so that the encounter is facilitated. To this end, a methodology for Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (ATER) was developed with the aim of creating a digital platform (application and website) that would allow these transactions to be carried out more quickly and credibly. The research area includes locations in the state of Espirito Santo (Brazil) that already have producers and consumers capable of meeting this new market dynamic.

Use of e-commerce in the commercialization of family farming products: a systematic literature review

Family farming is an important food supplier, but it faces difficulties in commercialize its production. Alternative forms of commercialization of agricultural products have been emerging, and an inclination towards the use of e-commerce is perceived, which has also helped in the disclosure of its products. The objective of this study was to present the state of the art in research that relates family farming to the use of e-commerce and its disclosure strategies in recent years, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. The technical procedure used was a systematic literature review, following the Methodi Ordinatio protocol. The results showed that e-commerce has helped family farmers in the commercialization and disclosure of their products, bringing economic and social benefits. Additionally, gaps in future research on the subject were pointed out.

Adversities imposed by COVID-19 on family farming: case studies in the municipalities of Santa Maria and Sao Joao do Polesine/RS

Family farming is present in 70% of Brazilian rural properties. However, despite the representativeness, historically this category is not a priority in the State's actions, assuring to grow and establish itself on the margins of business agriculture, and it is only because of the accentuated rural exodus effect that public policies for maintaining the population in the field are created, such as the National Rural Financing Program, PRONAF. Furthermore, a process of questioning about the health effects caused by the intensive use of pesticides in food production begins, and organic/healthy family agriculture gets visibility and space in the market, especially in open markets. Thus, the present paper ought to check which are the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic in this sector since the commercialization units started to operate in reduced periods and with less public. The paper aims to present the main adversities generated by the Pandemic for family farming, in the municipalities of Santa Maria/RS and Sao Joao do Polesine/RS, as well as the strategies used by the farmers. Therefore, three case studies are presented, which were studied, methodologically, from fieldwork in loco and online questionnaires. The found results are positive and demonstrate that despite the difficulties, farmers adapt themselves inserting new marketing strategies and access to customers.

Effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on market access by family farmers: qualitative study in the municipality of Mariana - MG

This paper addresses the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to markets by family farmers in Mariana. The research was theoretically guided by the discussion on the social construction of markets accessed by family farmers. A typology of markets developed by Schneider (2016) was used as an analytical model - which differentiates the main market channels accessed by family farmers in Brazil in order to assess possible changes in the forms of marketing during the pandemic. This is an exploratory and descriptive study, with a qualitative methodology consisting of semi-structured interviews with family farmers in Mariana. Through the content analysis of the interviews, it was possible to identify that the marketing channels available in the pandemic context did not change, but, due to access restrictions, in addition to the absence of incentives and public policies, farmers were impacted, highlighting the significant reduction in their income. © Este é um artigo publicado em acesso aberto (Open Access) sob a licença Creative Commons Attribution, que permite uso, distribuição e reprodução em qualquer meio, sem restrições desde que o trabalho original seja corretamente citado.

The pandemic and political discourses around Uruguayan family producers

The objective of this article was to analyze the political discourses of public managers, institutions linked to rurality and the press, around the measures carried out together with Uruguayan rural families because of the health emergency caused by the new coronavirus. For this purpose, the analysis of political discourse was based on the review of regulatory frameworks, policies and administrative actions. The practical arguments of the discourses were focus on the Covid-19 Solidarity Fund, Solidarity Field Program, “We are with you” Campaign, prevention actions, policies towards rural families and, security and sustainable food systems. The main pretext of the measures is related to the pandemic. Policies were organized in the context of agribusiness and its capacity to respond to the health emergency, but in practical and theoretical discourses family producers were not considered. © 2022, Universidad de Los Andes. All rights reserved.

Food security and family farming in Mexico

Food security and hunger, linked to rural poverty, in Mexico are among the greatest challenges since they include large sectors of the population, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this essay is to analyze the food security of family farming and rural poverty in Mexico. A systemic analytical framework was developed, which considered the food crisis, food security, agriculture and the agricultural development modality followed by Mexico. Family farming was addressed through the stratification developed by SAGARPA and FAO, as well as the conditions of marginalization and income poverty. According to the analysis, with the neoliberal model, Mexico specialized agricultural production towards export crops and agricultural growth, production that increased in recent years, achieving a surplus agri-food balance, which means food availability, but not food security for people in extremely rural poverty. It is concluded that there is a close relationship between rural poverty and food security, the latter linked to social inequality in income distribution, among other inequalities, which generates a circle of low income-poverty-food insecurity that occurs and reproduces socially in family farming. The strengthening of assets, agri-food production and income in family farming are fundamental for overcoming rural poverty and building a more equitable society.

Reinvention of family farming markets in Brazil: the novelty of digital marketing sites and platforms in times of COVID-19

The objective of this article is to analyze the process of reinvention and the characteristics of the markets of Brazilian family farming during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially the (re)connections from websites and digital platforms for marketing food and products with urban consumers. To this end, an extensive survey of information was carried out with 38 initiatives distributed geographically in all regions of the country. The work shows that the new digital marketing channels of family farming in Brazil are strongly based on collective organizations, aim to build short local and regional chains, and supply the population with fresh, agro-industrialized and ecological food with varying attributes of quality. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Public policies to fight hunger in Brazil: the role of family agriculture

The last two Brazilian governments were responsible for the general dismantling of public policies in favor of family farming, such actions reflected directly in the Food and Nutrition Security and Insecurity indices since 2016, progressively increased and worsened in 2020 with the pandemic of COVID-19 . Thus, this article aims to interpret the historical and political threshold between the years 2002 to 2020 and the phenomenon of hunger in this period. The conduct of the research was guided by the Literature Review on national and international sites, with a qualitative and quantitative bias of a descriptive character. The study showed that there was an increase in the levels of Food and Nutritional Insecurity at its various levels: mild, moderate and severe, highlighting the North and Northeast regions of the country as most vulnerable to hunger and essentially the populations residing in rural areas. We are facing a health and food crisis in Brazil and in the world and we therefore have an opportunity to seriously reflect on the way we produce process and distribute food.

Food supply and COVID -19 an analysis of the farmers markets in Vale do rio pardo-rs

Considering the relevance of actions to strengthen family farming as a strategy to overcome hunger, poverty and food insecurity, this article aims to understand how COVID-19 pandemic is impacting family farm markets at Vale do Rio Pardo region, indicating the challenges experienced in maintaining trade and the consequences for food supply. The research occurred between April and August of 2020, based on an exploratory methodology, with qualitative and quantitative data collection. The results indicate that the majority of local farmers markets remain active thanks to the mobilization of farmers to implement security measures both at personal level and at trading channel. There was also a positive performance by local governmental organizations vis-a-vis farming families, with no records of infection among people involved in the studied cases. The characterization and socio-spatial distribution of farmers markets in the region are an unprecedented and important result in setting an agenda for future research.

The food as a commodity and the hunger in Brazil

Brazil has favored agribusiness instead of family farming. In the agribusiness production networks, food is not treated as a social right, but rather as a commodity whose primary purpose is to obtain profit. This paper aims to contribute to the debate on the intrinsic relationship between agribusiness expansion and hunger in Brazil. Our starting point are some of the pillars that support food as a commodity, like ultra-processed food and economic concentration in its production and distribution. The methodology was structured according to the basic principles of qualitative research for the construction of a critical analysis. The researchers conclude that in addition to the increase in production and productivity of agribusiness, the researchers have the growth of people without access to food, showing that these processes are sides of the same coin. The researchers also note that although hunger increased exponentially during the COVID-19 pandemic, agri-food businesses and supermarkets were among the most profitable during this period.

Bulgarian agriculture in the focus of representative statistical surveys

The aim of the article is to highlight certain trends in Bulgarian agriculture. The article is based on representative empirical information from the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) and Farm structure survey (FSS). Changes in land use are registered with a significant impact on the development of land relations in our country. The results reveal processes of different nature and express the effect of the dominance of the Community agricultural policy on the economic conjuncture for the development of agriculture in our country. The dichotomy in the used agricultural area is an expression of increased competitiveness, which is inherent mainly in the production of extensive crops, with the presence of significant features for monoculture agriculture. At the same time, systemic problems in the intensive crops stand out, for the production of which Bulgaria possesses monopoly natural-climatic conditions. These results highlight the role of land relations and reveal/bring out potential opportunities for increasing the importance of agriculture in improving public relations and the socio-economic environment not only in the sector but also in the country as a whole. The Covid-19 challenge creates the preconditions for re-evaluating some existing stereotypes. The results of surveys over the last ten years reveal processes of consolidation of the utilized agricultural area and its concentration in a small number of large agricultural holdings. Extensive crop production is increasing. Intensive production, vegetables, fruit and livestock fall into the group of "vulnerable sectors". The number of small actors is decreasing;the processes of medium-sized ones are unstable. This creates difficulties in establishing sustainable family farms and is a potential risk of depopulation in some rural areas in Bulgaria. The registered processes are in dissonance with the goal setting of the Common agricultural policy (CAP). FADN 2020 reaffirms this trend, as the utilized agricultural area in Bulgarian agriculture continues to grow and monoculture production remains sustainable. The crisis with COVID-19 has revealed a number of problems in the supply of agricultural goods, which is an occasion to rethink the role of national policy to provide consumers with products of local origin and frames the need for cognition in the analysis of complex contemporary socio-economic processes.

L’agriculture burkinabè face à la crise de la Covid-19 : cas des régions du Yatenga et des Hauts-Bassins

Au début de la crise sanitaire due à la Covid-19, certains observateurs ont alerté les décideurs d’une possible crise alimentaire dans les mois à venir en Afrique de l’Ouest. En vue d’alimenter ce débat, nous avons mené une étude en nous entretenant avec 75 acteurs du secteur agricole dans deux régions du Burkina Faso − le Yatenga et les Hauts-Bassins. Dans les deux situations, les agriculteurs et les éleveurs ont pu continuer leurs activités mais certains ont eu des difficultés de commercialisation. Les maraîchers et les arboriculteurs ont été les plus touchés par cette crise du fait des difficultés à écouler leurs produits périssables sur les marchés ouest-africains. Les éleveurs ont été moins concernés par la baisse des prix mais les commerçants de bétail sur pied ont aussi rencontré des difficultés à exporter vers les pays côtiers. Enfin, les sociétés cotonnières ont dû faire face à une baisse du prix international du coton-fibre et les producteurs de coton ont dû faire face à une baisse du prix d’achat du coton-graine à la fin de 2020. Malgré cette crise, l’agriculture burkinabè a continué à jouer pleinement son rôle nourricier grâce à la mobilisation des agriculteurs, des commerçants et des transporteurs, même si elle montre des fragilités dues à sa forte dépendance aux marchés extérieurs pour entre autres les légumes, le bétail, le coton, les mangues, l’anacarde et les intrants agricoles et d’élevage. Cette crise permet de réfléchir à des axes d’intervention afin de rendre l’agriculture burkinabè moins dépendante des marchés extérieurs et des facteurs de production importés. Cela implique la substitution des produits alimentaires importés par des produits locaux et une transition agroécologique permettant de réduire l’importation d’intrants de synthèse.Alternate : At the beginning of the health crisis due to COVID-19 some observers alerted the decision makers of a possible food crisis in the coming months in West Africa. In order to feed this debate, we conducted a study by interviewing 75 actors of the agricultural sector in two regions of Burkina Faso − the Yatenga and the High Basins. In both situations, farmers and pastoralists were able to continue their activities, but some experienced marketing difficulties. Market gardeners and tree growers have been the most affected by this crisis because of difficulties in selling their perishable products on West African markets. Livestock farmers were less affected by the drop in prices, but traders of live livestock also encountered difficulties exporting to coastal countries. Finally, cotton companies have had to face a drop in the international price of cotton fiber and cotton producers will have to face a drop in the purchase price of seed cotton at the end of 2020. Despite this crisis, Burkina Faso’s agriculture has continued to fully play its nurturing role thanks to the mobilization of farmers, traders and transporters, even though it is showing weaknesses due to its heavy dependence on external markets for, among other things, vegetables, livestock, cotton, mangoes, cashew nuts and agricultural and livestock inputs. This crisis is an opportunity to consider areas for intervention to make Burkina Faso’s agriculture less dependent on external markets and imported factors of production. This implies the substitution of imported food products by local products and an agro-ecological transition to reduce the importation of synthetic inputs.

Jequitinhonha organic guarantee participatory system: the challenge of participation in times of pandemic

The Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) is an organic conformity assessment methodology based on the active participation of interested actors who organize themselves in a network. The Covid-19 pandemic imposed several restrictions on social interaction and, as a result, peer and verification visits, the main social control mechanism used by SPGs, were suspended in 2020. Aiming to maintain the dynamics of interaction and also contribute to reduce the impacts of social isolation on the lives of farmers, the PGS Organicos Jequitinhonha developed a method of remote visits. The objective of this work was to understand how this adaptation took place and what results were achieved. It is an action research, in which the authors actively participated in the implementation of the researched methodology. The researchers highlight as results the social control satisfactorily exercised in a remote system, greater interaction between families, learning in the use of digital technologies that were considered inaccessible by family farmers in Vale do Jequitinhonha.

Emerging responses to the COVID-19 crisis from family farming and the agroecology movement in Latin America - A rediscovery of food, farmers and collective action.

CONTEXT: In Latin America, the so-called informal sector associated with family farming and the agroecology movements were instrumental at coping with and adapting to the COVID-19 challenges. OBJECTIVE: To assess the nature and extent of the early initiatives (first three months) deployed by this informal sector to cope with and adapt to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food production and consumption in several countries of the region. METHODS: We used key used informant consultation (n = 168), an online survey (n = 125) and the detailed characterisation of regional case studies (n = 4). Textual data was analysed and categorised using Reinert's method, combined with similarity analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: 65% of the initiatives were 'local' in terms of geographic reach, 30% of them started within the first month after the pandemic and most of them were urban or urban-rural, whereas only 29% of them were exclusively rural. The analysis of the textual information captured through the survey revealed four major types of initiatives that were deployed or adapted in response to COVID-19:1.Direct producer-to-consumer food sales, generally existing before the COVID-19 crisis but adapted/strengthened to cope with it;2.Short value chains that linked rural and urban organisations and individuals supported by national or local governments, readapted through new health and safety protocols;3.Newly developed support and training programs on sustainable food production for self-consumption or local commerce, in rural, urban or peri-urban settings;4.Food assistance and aid initiatives focusing on vulnerable populations, relying on solidarity networks associated with the agroecological movement. SIGNIFICANCE: The pandemic highlighted the key role played by local food systems and value chains and the need to strengthening them through public policies, as a way to build food resilience in times of crisis.

Food Systems and Health: Prospects for Hope in the Brazilian Chaos?

There are several other pandemics, such as NCDs, obesity and climate change that have been ongoing for a while and are now being severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Are we going to use this convergence as an opportunity to tackle the systemic structures that have been fertile ground for the new COVID-19 pandemic to arise, alongside the older ones? This article will reflect upon the above through a closer look into the intersections between the questions that concern food systems, climate change, health politics and power relations with examples from the Brazilian context. We need inspired, inclusive and compassionate responses to bridge the current mismatch between the size of the problem and the response to it.