Institutional markets as a means to strengthen cooperativism

The case of the PNAE at the COPCRAF cooperative

Abstract

The National School Feeding Program (PNAE) is a key public policy for institutional procurement, aimed at strengthening family farming and promoting food and nutritional security. This article analyzes the role of the PNAE in socioeconomic development, gender equity, and the structuring of the Cooperative for Production and Commercialization of Agrarian Reform and Family Farming (COPCRAF), located in Western Paraná. Methodologically, this study employed a qualitative, exploratory approach, structured as a case study. Data collection and analysis included a review of operational and financial reports (2017–2025), data from the National Registry of Family Farming (CAF), and interviews with the organization’s managers. The results reveal a trajectory of sustained economic expansion, most notably a record gross revenue of R$ 4.45 million in 2025—a 77.4% increase over 2024—of which R$ 3.3 million was injected directly into the income of the cooperative’s member farmers. The cooperative marketed 351.6 tons of food through six different public procurement modalities, while also achieving gender equity within its membership (54% women) and diversifying its agro-industrial operations. The study concludes that the PNAE acts as a catalyst for financial autonomy, the inclusion of women, and the transition toward agroecology among settled families; however, the long-term viability of the enterprise requires ongoing political engagement and the diversification of market channels to navigate the regulatory fluctuations inherent in institutional markets..