The role of short Commercialization chains in the constitution of a sustainable rural development model in the Brazilian semiarid region: the case of the Family Farming Commercialization Center in Rio Grande do Norte State (CECAFES)

Abstract

For around two decades, so-called short food supply chains have been gaining more acknowledgment worldwide. These market channels are conceived by governments, civil society organizations and academia as important strategies in shaping an alternative agri-food system, based on more sustainable production models and also faire about food consumption. The analyzes in this article sought to understand the impact of the short food supply chain created by the Family Farming Commercialization Center (CECAFES), in the state of Rio Grande do Norte - Brazil, have the potential to put a more sustainable model of production and consumption in the Brazilian semiarid region, as suggested by the literature. From the results of the field research conducted with 15 farmers (a sample of more than 3 thousand farmers in the semiarid region), the formation path of this chain was studied, highlighting the role of producers, consumers and external actors linked to it. The results reveal the role of farmers and their organizations in guaranteeing the volume and diversity of products, especially agroecological products. Getting a closer connection to consumers has led to the search for new forms of certification on organic production, expanding yields and opening up other marketing channels. From the consumers' point of view, there is a very narrow perception of the role that they can play in sustaining these chains. The option for this type of market is guided, mostly, by concerns related to their own health, low prices or easy access, revealing little social commitment. Despite the importance of these circuits, the emergence of an alternative agri-food system, based on new forms of socioeconomic and environmental rationality, especially on the part of consumers, can be compared to shoots or seeds of a desired transition (Ploeg, 2008) that still has a long way to go.