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Agri-Food Policies and Family Farms’ Commercialization: Insights from Brazil

Author

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  • Valdemar João Wesz Junior

    (Latin American Institute of Economy, Society and Politics, Federal University of Latin American Integration, Rua Aluísio Souza, n. 765-Residencial Araras, Casa 101-Jardim Florença, Foz do Iguaçu 85867-295, PR, Brazil)

  • Simone Piras

    (Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences Department, The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 8QH, Scotland, UK)

  • Catia Grisa

    (Litoral Norte Campus, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Dona Adda Mascarenhas 741, Ap. 404, Jardim Planalto, Porto Alegre 91220-240, RS, Brazil)

  • Stefano Ghinoi

    (Department of Communication and Economics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Viale Antonio Allegri 9, Reggio Emilia, 41121 Modena, Italy
    Department of Economics and Management, University of Helsinki, Latokartanonkaari 5, P.O. Box 27, 00100 Helsinki, Finland
    Trieste Laboratory on Quantitative Sustainability, c/o ICTP, Strada Costiera 11, 34151 Trieste, Italy)

Abstract

Brazil is one of the main agricultural producers in the world, and its agri-food system has been experiencing concentration and intensification. Since the beginning of the 1990s, the Brazilian government has implemented different interventions to support family agriculture, such as the National Programme for Strengthening Family Farming (PRONAF), the Technical Assistance and Rural Extension Programme (ATER), and different seed distribution programs. Despite the social and economic relevance of these programs, there is a lack of quantitative studies investigating their impact on the resilience of family farms, primarily the promotion of commercialization. We aim to fill this gap by applying propensity score matching techniques to household-level data from the 2014 Brazilian National Household Sample Survey. Only this survey has recorded this type of information to date. We compare the commercialization behavior of policy recipients with that of non-recipients, accounting for interaction effects between different policies. Our results show that PRONAF has had a significant positive impact on family farmers’ propensity to engage in commercialization, and the effect increases if they also have access to technical assistance. Technical assistance alone has a positive effect, while seed distribution appears not to make a significant difference. Our results suggest that an appropriate policy mix can increase the resilience of family farms in emerging countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Valdemar João Wesz Junior & Simone Piras & Catia Grisa & Stefano Ghinoi, 2024. "Agri-Food Policies and Family Farms’ Commercialization: Insights from Brazil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(24), pages 1-21, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:24:p:11102-:d:1546666
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