State Coordinated Markets for Family Farming: The case of Posadas’ Zonal Concentrator Market, Misiones

Abstract

Between 2003-2015 Family Farming (FF) gained greater visibility in public policy debates regarding its role as a provider of food, way of life and promoter of national rural development. In this framework, there has been the emergence of numerous direct marketing experience for FF, promoted by both social organizations and public policies. The following work seeks to reflect on the process of institutionalization of Family Farming in the province of Misiones, from the systematization of the experience in the state coordination market: Zonal Concentrator Market (ZCM) of Posadas. For the analysis, we start from two complementary perspectives: a substantive conception of Economy and a particular vision on the State and public policies. With the framework of an ongoing doctoral thesis, a case study methodology was applied where the qualitative information survey consisted in the systematization and analysis of secondary and primary information, based on interviews with key informants and social actors of the state and civil society. The work is organized in three sections: 1) Contextualization and problematization of the recognition of direct marketing as part of the provincial public policies agenda, 2) Analysis of origin and organization of the MCZ, and 3) Final reflections on the experience and its implications for thinking about the institutionalization of direct marketing of FA. The results of the work show the contradictions and potentialities that arise when marketing experiences are coordinated by the State.