Caminhos para o Manejo Agroecológico atraves de participaçao no Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar (PNAE) em Santa Catarina, Brasil

Abstract

Agroecology, as a social movement and scientific discipline, applies ecological principles to
the design and management of agricultural systems to improve environmental outcomes and
livelihoods for farmers and rural communities. However, little research to date has assessed
the policy mechanisms that could facilitate increased adoption of agroecological management
practices. We investigated if and how public food procurement programs that provide financial
incentives for organic and agroecological production can mitigate key constraints to agroecological
transition. We explored the experience of participants in Brazil’s National School Feeding
Program (PNAE) in Santa Catarina, which offers both a structured market for small-scale
family farmers and a price premium for certified agroecological production systems. We found
that the PNAE provides an economic incentive for small-scale farmers to begin an agroecological
transition by creating a price-differentiated market that is otherwise absent in the regional
context. However, without external network linkages – such as participation in farmers’ associations,
cooperatives, and non-governmental agricultural extension programs that support
agroecological practices – the influence of PNAE is limited in stimulating a broader scaling up
of agroecological production.