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.

Impacts of COVID-19 on production chains and daily life in traditional communities in Central Amazonia

To provide information on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the interior of Amazonas state, we present a case report from the Amana Sustainable Development Reserve (RDSA), in the Middle Solimfies region. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the impacts of the pandemic on local residents' daily lives, identifying the difficulties they face, changes in dietary practices, and impacts on agricultural production chains. Information was obtained through semi-structured interviews conducted with nine family members from four communities and one locality the RDSA. In addition to documenting impacts, we sought to identify jointly with interlocutors possible actions to guarantee the health and well-being of local families and their ability continue marketing their production. Actions were divided into immediate proposals for this moment of pandemic and longer-term actions. Results demonstrate that at the beginning of the pandemic, residents adjusted their dietary habits and quickly adapted to social isolation recommendations and other preventive measures. Although data point to losses in families' income and in production, interlocutors bring forth innovative proposals to weather the immediate crisis and promote marketing through alternative supply chains in the long term. Thus, the results reflect the flexibility typically associated with Amazonian ribeirinho communities. Self-organization, promoted by the creation of broad collaborative networks, takes on a larger dimension in this context, necessary to face the current crisis in the absence of the State and in face of historical regional inequalities.