Alimentação escolar em Castanhal: oportunidades para a agricultura familiar

Abstract

The master's dissertation aimed to know the process of acquiring food from family farming and the difficulties of associations and cooperatives in supplying their products to the institutional market of the National School Food Program (PNAE), since there was a small number of associations and cooperatives participating in the Public Calls, instigating us to research that had as its universe the municipality of Castanhal, located in the Northeast region of Pará. Methodologically, a qualitative approach was chosen, using secondary sources collected in documents of the bodies responsible for the Public Call; bibliographic research; and primary data obtained through questionnaires with open and semi-structured questions. The interpretation of the selected material was carried out under the technique of content analysis, when it was obtained as an answer, about the Public Calls for the purchase of food, difficulties attributed to the need for an interactive dialogue between claimants and providers of family farming products. It was concluded that the public marketing policy via the National School Feeding Program has promoted family farming, with the opening of a new market for institutional purchases, although it is unable to reach a significant number of existing associations and cooperatives in Castanhal. It was found that the bureaucracy creates obstacles to the effectiveness of the public policy of purchasing food from family farming, in addition to the need for technical assistance mechanisms for associate workers, even if there are positive effects, as observed in the testimonies of the interviewed subjects. It is shown that public policy for the purchase of products from family farms improves school feeding as it is healthy and corresponds to food security and sovereignty principles.