Institutional Markets for Family Agriculture: Analysis of the Food Acquisition Program (PAA) and the National School Feeding Program (PNAE) within a Territory in the Brazilian Amazon1

Abstract

Hunger and malnourishment control and school meal programs became commercialization channels for family production and have been implemented mainly by way of the Food Acquisition Program (PAA) and the National School Feeding Program (PNAE). The objective of this work is to evaluate access to the PAA and the PNAE by family farmers within the Transamazonian Territory, which is a central region in the Brazilian Amazon. To obtain the information, semistructured questionnaires were applied to the implementing organizations and the farmers who benefited from the aforementioned programs in the year of 2014. The data obtained was analyzed by way of descriptive and inferential statistics. A reduced access to these programs was observed, which is associated to a strong bureaucratic process, a delay in the approval of projects (PAA), a delay in payment by the city halls, difficulty in issuing invoices and political instability within the cities (PNAE).The conclusion was that the effectuation of these programs is directly related to the socioeconomic and productive dynamics of the cities, and depends on the participation of farmer organizations, buying agents and especially on the political will of the managers.