Agricultura familiar e os desafios para o desenvolvimento sustentável: do acesso aos mercados institucionais à resiliência contra choques no sistema alimentar

Abstract

In times of health, economic, and political crises, food systems are exposed to shocks and tensions that can compromise global food stability. The vulnerability of these systems can disrupt supply chains and the livelihoods of family farmers, exacerbating poverty and food insecurity in rural areas. In this context, the inclusion of farmer families in institutional markets is seen as an effective risk management strategy to minimize these impacts. However, several difficulties still limit farmers' participation in these markets. Our study aimed to investigate the challenges faced by family farming in accessing institutional markets and analyze their resilience capacity in the face of shocks in a local food system. Our research considered two final products. In the first, through a systematic review, we identified problems that limit family farming's participation in institutional markets focused on school feeding at a global level. In the second, through a cross-sectional study, we analyzed the socioeconomic, production, and accessibility conditions to agricultural policies with the food insecurity situation of family farmers located in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. We made 132 phone calls to family farmers in the state, and food insecurity was measured using the reduced Brazilian Scale of Food Insecurity (EBIA). From the 37 studies included in our review, we identified that the most critical problems with the acquisition of local food arise from the family farming sector, including food production and marketing, and are exacerbated by factors such as lack of investment and inefficient logistics. Regarding the findings of the second study, we identified that the pandemic worsened the situation of food insecurity, especially among women with low education and income. Regarding access to different family farming initiatives, the food insecurity situation overlapped with these social protection measures. This fact may be an indicative that these initiatives did not have enough strength to curb food insecurity during the period of health, economic, and political crisis, and therefore, the capacity to absorb shocks in the food system was insufficient.