Hortaliças comercializadas nas feiras de Botucatu-SP e sistemas de produção

Abstract

Vegetable production is an important economic activity, collaborating with sustainability and local development. Currently, the vegetable market has been changing in the face of consumer awareness, mindful of health and quality of life. Fairs are important marketing channels that bring producers and consumers together. This work aims to characterize and analyze the vegetables sold at the main fairs in the city of Botucatu and their respective production systems. The fieldwork was based on interviews with semi-structured and open-ended questions. The municipality of Botucatu is located in the south-central region of the state of São Paulo, about 230 km from the capital of São Paulo. Visits were carried out at the three main fairs in the city between March and July 2009. The results showed that the main fairs in Botucatu are important spaces for the sale of vegetables, offering a variety of conventional and organic products, with possibilities for expansion in the sale of organic products. The production structure of the market vendors is made up of small producers and diversified production. Most are farmers who use simple technologies and knowledge of marketing mechanisms.