Urban food supply: the policy pathway from the perspective of the municipal market in Campos dos Goytacazes (RJ)

Abstract

This article analyzes urban food supply from the perspective of municipal markets in urban spaces; the locus of the research is the municipal market in Campos dos Goytacazes (RJ), a space with over one hundred years of history that is essential for the population's food supply and also a place of social interaction. The general objective is to understand how the relationship between the local government and the vendors who are licensed to sell at this market is established as a vehicle for food supply. We follow the history of this market from the time when places to buy food first appeared in the city and its inauguration up to its most recent configuration and relationship with the city government, in a longitudinal and theoretical-historical setting. The study is exploratory and descriptive and combines a qualitative approach with some quantitative elements; bibliographic and documentary research, questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews were utilized. The municipal market was seen to play an important role in supplying the city, and also as a bearer of memory and cultural heritage. Many people were seen to circulate within this type of space, which is permeated by interests that add complexity to the relationships established there. The directors of the market are appointed by the municipal government, which consequently influences the operational structure of the market, but informal rules dictate the relationships between public bodies and officially authorized people, affecting their regulatory and supervisory functions with market vendors.