Digital food markets and family farming: COOPERCUC’s experience in food marketing and consumption

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the dynamics and challenges faced by the digitization of family farming markets and the contributions of cooperatives to this process, based on the experience of the Canudos, Uauá, and Curaçá Family Farming Cooperative (COOPERCUC), located in the state of Bahia. The data obtained in the study include a questionnaire administered to twelve consumers and ten farmers, as well as a semi-structured interview with a cooperative manager. The research results indicate that the cooperative farmers are, for the most part, a low-educated, elderly population with little familiarity with the use of digital technologies, which hinders their involvement in digital markets. In this scenario, the cooperative’s fundamental role as a positive intermediary stands out, facilitating the connection between local production and consumption. On the part of consumers, there is a positive assessment of product quality, the digital shopping experience, and the role of COOPERCUC in promoting healthy food with a local identity. It is therefore concluded that the digitization of markets proves to be an important pathway for the commercialization of family farming when this occurs in coordination with collective organizations, as is the case with cooperatives.