Public Food Procurement for Farm System Diversification

Diversified farming systems have received considerable attention for their potential to contribute to environmentally sustainable and resilient food systems. This chapter discusses the potential of public procurement programmes in building public support for diversified farming systems. Focusing on Brazil’s flagship public procurement programme, the National School Feeding Programme (PNAE, by its Portuguese acronym), this chapter analyses how public procurement may drive farm diversification and the adoption of agroecological practices among small-scale farmers. It also explores the limitations of public procurement programmes in promoting agrobiodiversity and agroecological practices, and potential ways for achieving broader impacts for environmental outcomes