A construção social de mercados agroalimentares imersos, no contexto da Rede Xique Xique

Abstract

Contemporary societies face the challenge of enabling the production, commercialization and regular consumption of food. Much of this challenge is accomplished by the globalized corporate agri-food system. It is known that this system contributed to the world population having more food, due to the increase in productivity and the reduction of prices. However, this system also generated its limitations and produced a series of externalities. This phenomenon feeds consumer concern and causes a flee to quality. This is usually expressed in the appreciation of local food production, for example. Particularly, those bearers of distinctive qualities, such as organic and healthy foods, among others. This panorama shows, on the one hand, that the fordist pact between the food industry and a portion of middle-class consumers is no longer supported on such solid foundations. On the other hand, that the nature and dynamics of this system contribute to the conformation of a hostile environment for most farmers. In reaction to this framework, many farmers, from several countries, develop new products and services that differ from conventional agricultural products. The ongoing initiatives are characterized by the production and sale of healthy foods. This social phenomenon influences the agenda of food studies whose greater emphasis is given to the dimensions of commercialization - through the notion of social construction of markets – and consumption - from the reflexivity of the agents. As a result of this change, new themes and sociological questions are inserted in the debate on agriculture and society. Among these, the social construction of agri-food markets, adopted as an object of study in this thesis (GOODMAN, 2017; GOODMAN; DUPUIS; GOODMAN, 2012; RENTING; MARSDEN; BANKS, 2017; CASSOL, 2018). The research has as general objective to analyze the social construction of nested markets agri-food, from the perspective of farmers and consumers, of the Xique Xique Network, in Rio Grande do Norte. The specific objectives are: a) to understand how the search for agri-food products takes place and the main motivations for accessing this market; b) analyze how and which social and cultural values are accessed by farmers and consumers to confer the attribution of quality on products; c) examine how the generation of trust between farmers and consumers occurs. The adopted method was qualitative and the methodological process consisted of literature review on the new economic sociology and the social construction of nested markets agro-food, in order to build an analytical framework. Direct observations were also carried out, mapping of fairs held by Rede Xique Xique, in potiguar municipalities. Semi-structured interviews were realized with farmers and consumers to understand the motivations and values that lead to the search for these foods, confer quality attributes and produce trusting relationships. The research demonstrated that there are multiple causes for the construction of motivation and trust with quality attribution, of the products marketed by the Xique Xique Network.