The Role of Institutions in Promoting
Resilience in the Development
of Sustainable Food Systems: The
Farmer’s Perspective in the Northeast
of Brazil
Monica Dantas
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.
Keywords Family farming · Solidarity economy · Institutions · Sustainable
development
M. Dantas (B)
Individualized Program in Sustainable Food Systems, Concordia University, 1455 Boulevard de
Maisonneuve O, Montreal, QC H3G 1M8, Canada
e-mail: Monica.dantas@concordia.ca
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
W. Leal Filho et al. (eds.), Universities and Sustainable Communities:
Meeting the Goals of the Agenda 2030, World Sustainability Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30306-8_39
651
Resilience in the Development
of Sustainable Food Systems: The
Farmer’s Perspective in the Northeast
of Brazil
Monica Dantas
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.
Keywords Family farming · Solidarity economy · Institutions · Sustainable
development
M. Dantas (B)
Individualized Program in Sustainable Food Systems, Concordia University, 1455 Boulevard de
Maisonneuve O, Montreal, QC H3G 1M8, Canada
e-mail: Monica.dantas@concordia.ca
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
W. Leal Filho et al. (eds.), Universities and Sustainable Communities:
Meeting the Goals of the Agenda 2030, World Sustainability Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30306-8_39
651