Family farming in Rio Grande do Norte: an ethnography of government policies and actions
Anthropology of public policy; Family farming; Government policies; Food sovereignty and security.
This thesis investigates the dynamic nature of family farming, considering it as a contested category. The aim is to explore the various understandings and uses of the category and to monitor governmental actions aimed at strengthening this sector in Northeast Brazil, with an emphasis on the state of Rio Grande do Norte. The work includes a literature review, participation in events, fairs, seminars, and meetings, interviews with political actors, and analysis of social situations, forming a multi-sited ethnography. The results presented histories, social meanings, advances, weaknesses, potentialities, and controversies surrounding the category from the investigation of different interpretations and interests that surround it. It was also possible to perceive the influence of the imagistic-discursive process about the Brazilian northeast in the construction and understanding of the category and reflect on its impact on public policies and governmental actions designed for the segment. I also argue the role that the anthropic environmental crisis and climate change impose, creating additional challenges and highlighting the need for specific adaptation and support for the agrarian space in Northeast Brazil. In this context, the modernization and mechanization of agriculture, including the cooperation agreement with Chinese universities to develop agricultural machines adapted to small properties, point to possible solutions, responses, and futures. Thus, I argue that the category “family farmer” is used and understood in different ways by various social, political, and institutional actors. The concept is not fixed but is in constant transformation and negotiation, being shaped by various histories and social construction processes, which give rise to different social meanings and controversies. These different interpretations also influence the way policies and governmental actions aimed at the segment are formulated and implemented.