Food production for self-consumption in the western region of the Brazilian State of Santa Catarina

• Autor(a) principal: Dorigon, Clovis
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Outros Autores: Nesi, Cristiano Nunes, Tonezer, Cristiane, Haag, Aureo Leandro
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Redes (Santa Cruz do Sul. Online)
• Texto Completo: https://online.unisc.br/seer/index.php/redes/article/view/14645
• topic: Self-consumption. Food safety. Family farming. Western region of Santa Catarina.; Autoconsumo. Seguridad alimentaria. Agricultura familiar. Región Oeste de Santa Catarina.; Autoconsumo. Segurança alimentar. Agricultura familiar. Oeste catarinense.

Food production for self-consumption in Brazil until recently was associated with backwardness and subsistence agriculture, which would tend to disappear. However, issues related to changes in the agri-food system and the emergence of criticism of the excessive industrialization of agriculture and its social and environmental consequences give new meaning to the subject, which is now subject of research. Given the scarce knowledge produced on the subject, this article aims to characterize the food production for self-consumption in the western region of Santa Catarina (Brazil), surveying ways and quantities of this production and identifying the reasons why farmers stopped producing some products, besides verifying the economic importance of production for self-consumption. This is a quantitative research covering 112 municipalities, with the application of 381 questionnaires to family farmers in the western region of Santa Catarina. As a result, it was observed that production for self-consumption is present in all properties, even those producing raw materials for large agri-food companies. This production is characterized by its diversification and contributes decisively to the food and nutritional security of farmers in the region. Differences in spatial distribution related to the quantity and variety of what is produced for household consumption were also noted, and the main causes that led farmers to stop producing some products were raised. It was also observed the economic importance of production for self-consumption, because the interviewees reported saving a good part of monthly income, not having to buy the food produced in the family farm in the grocery stores.