Effects of the Reduction of the Food Purchase Program Resources for the Family Farmer

The Food Acquisition Program (FAP) created in 2003 during the first term of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva represents a change in the way family farmers are benefited. However, in the period of 2019-2022 (Bolsonaro’s Government) the setback in the implementation of social policies, which began during President Dilma Roussef’s second term, worsened. In this context, this article sought to investigate the effects of the partial implementation of the FAP on the lives of family farmers in the municipality of Maracanaú-CE in that period. This is an excerpt from the dissertation “Evaluation of the Municipal Food and Nutrition Security Policy in the Municipality of Maracanaú-Ceará”, which was developed through a Fourth Generation Assessment from February to November 2022, using the Hermeneutic Circle Dialectic. The informants were family farmers benefiting from the program. Empirical data were constructed through individual semi-structured interviews, field observation and field diary, which allowed creating the empirical categories: Benefit of participating in the FAP; Challenges for maintaining family farming in recent years and Support from municipal managers to family farmers. The study concluded that the partial execution of the FAP due to the reduction in the transfer of federal resources had effects regarding the guarantee of sales, the reduction of sales and the value of products, on the conditions for purchasing equipment and supplies. This situation was worsened by insufficient support from municipal management in terms of providing resources and technical assistance, which generated instability in the segment and discouraged people from continuing with family farming. These findings allow us to reflect on the importance of the FAP to keep family farmers in the field, generate security and stability, and promote quality of life not only for the segment, but for consumers who seek healthy food produced in a sustainable way.