Efeitos da pandemia Covid-19 na produção e comercialização de alimentos por cooperativas da agricultura familiar (Rio Grande do Norte, 2020)

Abstract

The objective of this text is to list challenges and alternatives for the management, production and commercialization of solidary economic enterprises in the scenario of the Covid-19 pandemic, based on family farming cooperatives in Rio Grande do Norte. It is derived from research of a descriptive and qualitative nature, developed through a structured interview with six presidents of family farming cooperatives affiliated with the Central Cooperative of Family Agriculture of the State of Rio Grande do Norte (Cooafarn), manager of the Family Agriculture Marketing Center and Solidarity Economy (Cecafes). In addition to losses to commercialization, the results express, among others, the discontinuity of projects, losses in communication between the partners, dependence on the cooperative members regarding government acquisitions by the National School Feeding Program (PNAE) and innovations in the way of cultivation, via productive backyards, and in the use of digital technologies for sales by application with home delivery.