IMPACTS OF COVID-19 ON FOOD PRODUCTION AND COMMERCIALIZATION IN BRASILIA-DF: CHALLENGES FOR AGRARIAN REFORM SETTLERS/CAMPED

Abstract

The agricultural sector was severely affected by the pandemic of Covid-19, genera- ting uncertainties about food production and distribution, which directly affected the work of millions of farmers. This article aims to analyze the impact of the pandemic on food production in Brasília-DF, especially among farmers settled in agrarian reform settlements. The analysis used primary data obtained through an on-line questionnaire addressed to the public of agrarian reform in rural areas of the administrative regions of the federal capital, as well as secondary data made available by public institutions. The results showed that the impact of the pandemic was intense among farmers, leaving them extremely vulnerable, especially in the initial months of the pandemic. As a way of countering the effects of the pandemic, workers have adopted four specific measures: the use of delivery services; the salof agro-ecological baskets; participation in solidarity networks; and direct sales at agrarian reform fairs. These new commercialization dynamics have transformed the forms of countryside-city interaction by demanding different strategies to reach final consumers, contributing to mitigate the pandemic’s disruptive effects on local food systems.