BARRIERS AND COPING MECHANISMS IN THE INTERFACE BETWEEN FAMILY FARMING AND SCHOOL FEEDING FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF DIFFERENT SOCIAL ACTORS IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL

Background and objectives: Family farming came to school as a public policy in Brazil, linked to the National School Feeding Program (PNAE - Programa Nacional de Alimentacao Escolar in Portuguese). The aim of this study was to discuss how the interface between family farming and school feeding has being built in Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil, in terms of the factors that represent obstacles to its consolidation and also on those that are mechanisms for addressing and overcoming those limitations, from the perspective of different social actors involved in the process. Methods: In order to collect data, a semi-structured interview technique was used, applying specific guides for each category of social actor. For data analysis, one adopted the technique of thematic content analysis, from two previous categories: barriers and coping mechanisms in the construction of the family farming interface with school feeding. The Ethics Committee for Research Involving Human Subjects approved this study (Opinion No. 1,207,443). Results: The group of the research subjects consisted of 35 social actors involved in the studied interface: managers (8 technical managers, nutritionists responsible for PNAE); farmers (9 family farmers); consumers (10 members of the School Feeding Council/CAE, teachers, principals and school cooks); members of the Technical Assistance and Rural Extension/ATER (8 technicians and rural extensionists). The barriers identified were the cost of goods, bureaucracy, insufficient technical assistance, resistance to changes, weaknesses in the organization of farmers and public managers. The coping mechanisms observed in facing those obstacles were dialogue, intersectionality, investment, training activities and organization. These mechanisms have encouraged the establishment and strengthening of trustful relationships that promoted awareness of all parties about the importance of PNAE and contributed to making the necessary adjustments to meet the program requirements, guided by its goals and guidelines. Conclusions: We conclude that public policies as PNAE can provide favorable changes for farmers and the students and their communities, contributing to local development and for achieving higher levels of food security and nutrition both in rural as in urban spaces.