Between prescription and reality: solidarity production and marketing strategies in a network of family farmers: the case of rede mandioca in Maranhão

Abstract

The article analyzes how Cáritas Brasileira, an entity linked to the Catholic Church, concerned with the strong presence of farmers in rural slave labor statistics, invested in the creation of a network of grassroots organizations in the state of Maranhão, in order to guarantee food security and the economic strengthening of family farming. This articulation of organizations, called « Rede Mandioca », developed a set  of actions to strengthen the production and commercialization of cassava flour, among which the holding of fairs, the organization of cooperatives and the transfer of equipment for the processing of this product stand out. From the data analyzed, it
is possible to verify that these actions are incorporated differently by farmers, pointing to the existence of differences between the prescribed measures and the strategies defined by the families of the Network participants.