Structured Demand and Smallholder Farmers in Brazil: the Case of PAA and PNAE

Abstract

In the last decade, Brazil gained widespread recognition around the world for its successful initiatives in fi ghting hunger and extreme poverty. The country’s experience is serving as inspiration for other countries to develop their own policies and programmes. Although some studies have been conducted to systematise the experiences and to determine the foundation of Brazil’s success, there is still a lack of research on the concrete results the Brazilian programmes have achieved and their impacts on people’s lives. One aspect of Brazil´s success can be attributed to linking the supply by smallholder farmers to the demand of institutional procurement for food-based safety net programmes. This has been coined by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as ‘Structured Demand’. The theory of change is that structured demand connects large, predictable sources of demand for agricultural products to small farmers, which reduces risk and encourages improved quality, leading to improved systems, increased income and reduced poverty. (...)"Na última década, o Brasil vem sendo reconhecido pelo mundo todo por suas iniciativas bem-sucedidas no combate à fome e à miséria. A experiência do país vem servindo de inspiração para outros países desenvolverem as próprias políticas e programas. Embora já tenham sido realizados alguns estudos com o objetivo de sistematizar as experiências e definir a base do sucesso alcançado pelo Brasil, ainda faltam pesquisas sobre os resultados concretos dos programas brasileiros e seus impactos na vida das pessoas."(...)