The Role of Institutions in Promoting Resilience in the Development of Sustainable Food Systems: The Farmer’s Perspective in the Northeast of Brazil

Abstract

In the Brazilian context, agriculture presents itself in opposing directions: agribusiness and family farming. Through time, agribusiness has developed an extensive apparatus of institutions and policies to ensure its success. Family farming, on the other hand, has had considerably less support. However, in the last decade, reports attesting the importance of family farming, especially regarding food security and the promotion of sustainable agriculture—has put them in the spotlight. This study investigates family farming in the state of Rio Grande do Norte-RN, focusing on a cooperative named Rede Xique-xique and the Cooperative Central da Agricultura Familiar e Economia Solidaria (CECAFES). The guiding question for this research is: How vulnerable is family farming, and the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) to the recent dismembering of institutional structures of support in Brazil? The method used elements of participatory action research, the case study collected data from 30 semi-structured interviews conducted from May to August of 2017 in the state of RN, Brazil. The participants are family farmers and people directly engaged with solidarity economy. Also included is an interdisciplinary literature review concerning sociology of food, environment subjects and community development topics. The MAXQDA software was used for processing the unstructured data to support coding, analyses and the displaying of results. The regional focus of this study is the Northeast of Brazil a region that endures severe water shortages, rural exodus, the lowest income in the country, and a lack of infrastructure and public policies to support better living conditions. The results of the study bring a unique perspective from family farmers in RN about the role of institutions, especially governmental ones, and the effects of the recent institutional dismantling caused by the change in government in Brazil. The study also appoints ways the farmers foster resilience in times of crises.