A agroecologia e o mercado de alimentos orgânicos da agricultura familiar em empresas alimentares e restaurantes de Santa Cruz do Sul / RS Brasil.

Abstract

This research had as its theme the agroecology and organic food market of family farming in food companies and restaurants in Santa Cruz do Sul, with the purpose of investigating and analyzing the marketing strategies of organic production, from family farming in the region, with companies and restaurants that provide meals in the urban space. The aim was to understand the relations, interactions, resources, and values that involve the effectuation of new sustainable markets, aiming at filling the existing gaps between production and consumption in the local organic production. Thus, the objective of the research was to analyze the demand for organic products from family agriculture by food companies and restaurants that serve meals in Santa Cruz do Sul and its repercussion on the formation of short commercialization chains for these products. The theoretical and methodological approach is referenced in the work of the French Moroccan economist Hassan Zaoual (2006), entitled New Economy of Local Initiatives - an introduction to post-global thought, which brings the discussion of Symbolic Sites of Belonging, still little known in Brazil. The research was delimited to the region of Santa Cruz do Sul, where the owners of four restaurants, located in the central area of the city, and one industrial restaurant that provides outsourced meal services, mainly to tobacco companies, located in the industrial district, were interviewed. As for production, four family farmers who produce and sell organic food in the region were interviewed, three of them linked to CAPA, MPA, EFASC, and one who has the participative certification of the Ecovida network. The results show that the organic production of family farming practiced in the region is guided by the principles of Agroecology. They also show that the option for organic products in the restaurants and the food company are identified as differentials in their menus by the consumers, who are concerned with health, nutrition and better quality of the food consumed in the meals. There is a relationship of trust between the restaurants and the farmers that supply the products, which was tightened as a result of the pandemic that interrupted the search for products at CEASA in Porto Alegre. From these practices it was observed the organizational capacity of these farmers with the institutions, in which their active presence refers to a sense of belonging and appreciation of the local ability to organize new economies that are more equitable, based on relationships of trust, participation, cooperation and mutual commitment present in these interactions. These bonds strengthen the permanence of family farmers in organic food production, even more in a territory where most farmers produce tobacco, marked by the individualized relationship imposed by the companies in the sector. It is important to emphasize that the data from the demands of the restaurants show perspectives of expansion in the supply of organic food from family farms in the region, which converges with the expectations of farmers regarding the possibilities of expanding this production. But there are aspects that limit this possibility, such as few resources for investments, even in simple structures that would make a lot of difference, such as greenhouses and irrigation systems, which would allow the increase in production and overcoming seasonality in the supply of products.