A construção de mercados para a agricultura familiar no estado do RN: analisando a Central de Comercialização da Agricultura Familiar e Economia Solidária - CECAFES/RN, no período de 2017 a 2019

Abstract

The challenges presented by family farming to meet the demand for healthy and quantity food are enormous. Among the challenges, the absence of an income that guarantees a decent life in the countryside makes it difficult for families to stay in rural areas. In addition, insufficient investment in productive infrastructure, processing, storage, transport and remunerative prices, as well as access to public policies of a social nature such as health, education, social security and public transport are decisive factors for the field. In view of the challenges historically observed in rural areas, especially family farming, the construction of markets for this segment becomes a fundamental and indispensable factor for its development. For, as Amartya Sen (2000) points out, markets represent a unique opportunity to achieve social inclusion, with which the poor and / or the weakest sectors of society should have the right to exercise their citizenship through the possibility of marketing the result of their work and / or their production. Considering the relevance and the novelty of CECAFES / RN, one of the few of the family farms in Brazil that are not linked, either physically or financially, to the Food Supply Centers (CEASA's), is investigated as a research problem in this study: the importance of CECAFES / RN as a sales channel for the permission holders - family farmers - who are in space? Methodologically, the analysis was based on a survey conducted by the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (SEBRAE / RN) in December 2017, and in primary interviews data with the CECAFES / RN 8 (eight) carried out with legal organizations (associations, cooperatives and enterprises of family agriculture and solidary economy) and 9 (nine) with individual farmers. Together, the respondents represented 63% of the banks in the fair (21 interviewed banks out of a total of 34 active banks) and 43% of the boxes (6 boxes interviewed out of a total of 14 boxes in operation) of CECAFES / RN. The results of the survey revealed after this brief period of operation of the Central, a satisfactory level of contentment by the licensees with the economic and immaterial results achieved. However, there are still many challenges to be overcome for CECAFES / RN continuity and viability, especially with regard to the current economic viability of space in the absence of a programmed and continuous state financial contribution, and the difficulties faced daily by the licensees, with transportation to bring their products and reduction in the volume of sales carried out in the Central.