Diagnosis of organic product trade fairs and their consumers in Belo Horizonte

Abstract

Brazil is today one of the largest producers of organic food. The consumption of this kind of food in the country grows at 25% annual rate, and the specific fair market is essential for this advance. In 2002, eight organic fairs were installed in three regions of the city of Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. The objective of this work was to survey the history, characteristics, the profile of farmers and marketers, and the profile of consumers and possible consumers in these fairs. It also sought to analyze the difficulties for the production expansion and marketing of these fairs. The study was perfomed through observations in the fairs and interviews using semi-structured questionnaires. The interviews (with 214 people) were conducted with the consumers attendees of the eight fairs, besides five interviews with family farmers, and one interview with the supervisor of the Belo Horizonte City Hall. It was observed that the farmers face some difficulties for the availability of workers and the regularity of production to comply with the consumer expectations. The most consumers was composed of women with a high-level education, between 30 and 54 years of age, and a high per capita income, which is equivalent to a value between 9 and 12 times the Brazilian minimum wage. The fairs were considered important channels for the commercialization of organic production of family farmers, as it enabled the proximity and establishment of trust relations between farmers and consumers.