A gestão da emergência: políticas públicas, pandemia e agricultura familiar no Vale do Jequitinhonha

Abstract

Public policies and programs play a fundamental role in human and territorial development, being required with agility in calamity or disaster situations to address urgent issues that jeopardize health, production and access to food and income generation. This has been the case of the Covid-19 pandemic, which, based on isolation restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus, weakened economic processes, aggravating existing social problems in the country. The objective of this dissertation was to investigate public strategies to face the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on family farming in municipalities in Vale do Jequitinhonha, Minas Gerais. The study area covered 12 municipalities distributed among the Territories of Alto, Medio and Baixo Jequitinhonha. Bibliographical and documentary research was carried out, followed by a field survey and interviews, respecting security measures and using digital tools. Information was collected from leaders of family farmers’ organizations, municipal public managers, technicians from public organizations and representatives of civil society organizations. The closure of street markets as well as the temporary suspension of institutional markets such as the PNAE, important production outlets and bases of the economy in municipalities considered rural, were measures that most harmed the income of family farmers. On the other hand, the research revealed the existence of a set of innovative public action strategies, both governmental and civil society, stimulating agricultural production, promoting income generation and access to food for families in social vulnerability. Emergency government resources proved to be relevant to public health in actions to combat the Coronavirus, including for rural populations. The social technologies of rainwater harvesting for coexistence with the semi-arid region reinforced their importance in this pandemic period, favoring conditions for the families to stay in the rural area. It is concluded that productive activities based on family farming were an important path for food supply, reducing the effects of social inequality, hunger and unemployment intensified by the pandemic, being, therefore, a reference in the formulation of public programs.