Feeding Networks: Family Farming and Women’s Protagonism in School Feeding in Santana do Cariri - CE

Abstract

This text aims to analyze the networks that sustain the National School Feeding Program (PNAE), drawing on local experiences in promoting food and nutrition security, productive inclusion, and the appreciation of regional food culture. It was therefore decided to explore intersectoral interdependence in greater depth through a qualitative case study based on the experience of a woman worker, a resident of the rural area of the municipality of Santana do Cariri, Ceará. We also drew on bibliographic research on the topic and photographic images. In this way, we aim to contribute to the understanding of how public food and nutrition policies — notably the National School Feeding Programme (PNAE) — are effective in local contexts, highlighting the experience of a family farmer who supplies food for this programme. In this municipality, the growth in public purchases from family farms for the PNAE indicates the strengthening of the local economy and a commitment to healthy and adequate school meals. The findings of this study show that the National School Feeding Programme (PNAE), when coordinated with community networks, public policies, and agroecological practices, acts as a strategy for productive inclusion, food and nutritional security, and the promotion of regional food culture.