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Regulatory Framework and Policy in Southeast Brazil |
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Regulatory framework
One of the main characteristics of REA is its Participatory Guarantee System (Certificação Participativa), based on a decision of farmers and consumers. For the network, Participatory Certification is a process to generate credibility that presupposes participation and is based on solidarity of all those interested in ensuring the organic quality of the final product and its production.
In Rede Ecovida de Agroecologia, Participatory Certification is given to the organic product and the credibility is generated by trust in the information given by the farmer family. The certification socially legitimizes itself, in a cumulative process, through the different organizational procedures that the family is part of.
In the certification process the first procedure is the declaration by the farmer and his or her family. The truth of the family’s declaration is confirmed by the Ethical Committee of the group to which the farmer belongs. This group in its turn has its work confirmed by the co- responsibility and work of the Nucleus Ethical Committee of the regional nucleus to which it belongs. The products produced in this group are supported and confirmed by all other nuclei as they share common rules and keep minimum thresholds of functioning. This enables them to mutually recognize each other through REA.
In a general perspective the work with organic agriculture has always followed the international standards of what organic means. More recently, the Normative Instruction (Instrução Normativa) 007, established in 1999, is the reference to define an organic product in Brazil. In December 2003, Law 10831 was passed, but so far it has not yet been implemented. In summary one can say that Brazil has never had a legal frame that regulates the production, processing, certification, and commercialization of organic products.
During the elaboration of the Brazilian law on organic products there was intense participation of different Brazilian actors involved with this sector. It focused specifically on certification and commercialization of organic products. This work had an effect, so that there is a space in the law for Participatory Certification. As a result REA has been invited to share their experience in Latin American countries, where it affects the way the organic certification laws are written.
Organic agriculture policy
The problems caused by the modernization of agriculture were what provoked a more ecological approach to agriculture. On the other hand, the government implements policies that have a negative impact on the sector, especially the much higher support to agribusiness in general and more specifically to GMOs. Official rural extension services, credit, and research, besides the agricultural industry itself, still exert a strong pressure on family farmers. In the conflict between those two opposing approaches regarding the model of development for agriculture, the organic sector is less able to have its opinions taken into account.
At a federal level there are a few governmental initiatives to support the sector. The Ministry of Agrarian Development, which is in charge of family agriculture and settlements of the agrarian reform, has a Program on Agro-ecology that ensures credit, rural extension, and research for the sector. Although it has existed only in recent years, it represents progress. The Ministry of Environment also has different programs that support family farmers in order to produce in a sustainable way, in harmony with the environment. Many of the beneficiaries of such programs are organic farmers. Ecovida Network has accessed money for training and agricultural extension services on agro-ecology, but not for institutional activities or for the agenda of the organizations.
The efforts of different actors (family farmers, their organizations, NGOs, and individuals within formal institutions interested in the issue) are what have stimulated the current design of public policies to support organic agriculture.
(Author Maria José Guazzelli and Laercio Meeirelles)
Further Reading on Southeast Brazil's Organic Sector development:
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