A profile of organic farming and markets in Brazil

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5380/dma.v62i0.85418

Keywords:

mercados orgânicos, agroecologia, Censo Agropecuário 2017, Cadastro Nacional de Produtores Orgânicos, agricultura familiar

Abstract

This article presents a both qualitative and quantitative analysis of official statistical data on organic farming in Brazil, relating them to consumption trends to explain changes occurred in Brazilian organic food markets in recent years. To this end, a survey was carried out based on data from the 2017 Agricultural Census, added to time-series data from the National Registry of Organic Producers. In addition, information on organic markets in the country was collected, and research literature relevant to the analysis of organics’ both production and consumption dynamics was reviewed. Census data analysis showed that agricultural establishments that perform organic farming correspond to 1.28% of total farms in the country, comprising a prevailing profile of farms with an area of up to 20 hectares. Organic farmers are mostly family farmers who own their land and count on little technical support. Data analysis shows a growth in the number of both certified farmers and organic markets. It also reveals heterogeneity in organic farming and a complex dynamics of the markets, which cannot be fully understood by analyzing just the data currently available in the country. Therefore, a need for enhancing the information on organic farming by IBGE was identified, in view of a possible inaccuracy of the relevance of organic production and markets in the country.

Author Biographies

Andréia Vigolo Lourenço, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS

Doutora em Desenvolvimento Rural (PGDR/UFRGS).  Pesquisadora colaboradora junto ao Grupo de Estudos em Desenvolvimento Rural e Mata Atlântica (DESMA - UFRGS) e ao Círculo de Referência em Agroecologia, Sociobiodiversidade, Soberania e Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional (ASSSAN - CR). 

Marcio Gazolla, Federal Technological University of Paraná (UTFPR), Pato Branco, PR

Profº titular na UTFPR - Campus Pato Branco/PR.  Doutor em Desenvolvimento Rural. Professor do Departamento Acadêmico de Ciências Agrárias (DAGRO). Professor Permanente do Programa de Pós Graduação em Desenvolvimento Regional (PPGDR). Líder do Grupo de estudos e pesquisas em Desenvolvimento, Alimentação, Mercados e Políticas Públicas (GePPADeM) - http://pb.utfpr.edu.br/geppadem/. Pesquisador do Grupo de Estudos e Pesquisas em Agricultura, Alimentação e Desenvolvimento (GEPAD) - https://www.ufrgs.br/agrifood/. Bolsista de Produtividade Científica do CNPq.

Sergio Schneider, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS

Professor Titular de Sociologia do Desenvolvimento Rural e Estudos da Alimentação na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Coordenador GEPAD:www.ufrgs.br/agrifood. Bolsista Produtividade em Pesquisa CNPq, PQ1B. 

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Published

2023-11-27

How to Cite

Lourenço, A. V., Gazolla, M., & Schneider, S. (2023). A profile of organic farming and markets in Brazil. Desenvolvimento E Meio Ambiente, 62. https://doi.org/10.5380/dma.v62i0.85418

Issue

Vol. 62 (2023): Psychoanalysis, philosophy and political ecology - Water, Sanitation and SDGs in Brazil: challenges, contradictions and governance

Section

Articles

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