Family farming in times of Covid-19

Abstract

Family farming plays a vital role in the global food supply. The mobility restriction measures adopted internationally to contain Covid-19 are necessary to control the pandemic progress. However, they can impair food production and distribution. This paper aims to discuss the effects of the Covid-19 containment measures on the production and distribution of family farming food, and strategies to strengthen this sector. Sanitary and social distancing requirements, the interruption of supply to institutional markets, the closure of local farmers’ markets, or people’s declining food demand are hampering family farming food production’s flow and shrinking family farmers’ income. This situation can jeopardize the food sovereignty and nutritional security of the population in the medium and long term. Access to Personal Protective Equipment, the reorganization of local farmers’ markets, investment in new technologies for direct commercialization, guarantee of minimum income, and the strengthening/expansion of institutional food purchases are some of the strategies that can contribute to overcome the new challenges imposed on family farming as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. We conclude the article by arguing that the support to and enhancement of the family farming sector are strategic to ensure food supply and to strengthen food and nutrition sovereignty and security.

Diverse adaptation strategies helped local food producers cope with initial challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic: Lessons from Québec, Canada

“…The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and associated public health measures unveiled weaknesses and strengths in our food supply chains. Globally, nearly all food production sectors and operation sizes felt the impacts of public safety measures, including the milk and dairy industry ( Wang et al, 2020 ), small-scale fisheries ( Bennett et al, 2020 ), fruit and vegetable growers ( Campbell and McAvoy, 2020 ), and family farms ( Cavalli et al, 2020 ; de la Peña García et al, 2020 ). In between food security and livelihood concerns, paradoxical situations emerged, especially in agricultural sectors that relied heavily on high-volume foodservice markets like tourism and institutions ( Campbell and McAvoy, 2020 ; Wang et al, 2020 ).…”

Vulnerabilidade Do Trabalhador Rural Em Tempos De Pandemia Da Covid-19

“…Isso gera preocupações claras relacionadas à segurança alimentar (fome), bem-estar social, acesso a serviços financeiros, falta de empregos, desemprego e potencial pobreza. Essas conclusões corroboram os achados no trabalho A8 20 , o qual destaca que as medidas que visam à contenção da COVID-19 podem acentuar a vulnerabilidade socioeconômica dos trabalhadores rurais e suas famílias.…”

“…A8 20 Os níveis de evidência dos trabalhos analisados consistiram em estudos de caso-controle (3), estudo de coorte (1), estudo ecológico (1), relato de caso (1) e artigo de opinião (2). Três deles foram publicados em 2020 e cinco no ano de 2021.…”

Cenário e perspectivas do sistema alimentar brasileiro frente à pandemia de Covid-19

“…Vejamos: a maior parte do alimento consumido no Brasil vem da agricultura familiar, que ocupa apenas 23% do total de áreas cultivadas no país. 15 O volume de financiamento público, que responde a uma orientação político-econômica, é mais um dado que revela o foco no mercado externo: para o período 2017 a 2020, foram anunciados R$ 30 bilhões de crédito ao agricultor familiar, enquanto o volume de recursos para médios e grandes produtores alcançou R$ 190 bilhões em um ano. Com a precarização do trabalho no campo e a falta de apoio do Estado, a preservação (ou criação) de circuitos curtos de produção com comercialização de alimentos ocorre de forma espontânea e frágil, embora exemplos de sucesso atestem sua viabilidade.…”