Abstract

Populations around the world, especially in developed countries, have adopted a more conscious food consumption than that practiced conventionally, in their search for a better quality of life. In this scenario of concern about food, the organic products market is highlighted in the face of the high consumption of food produced with agrochemicals and agricultural inputs. In the last few years, there has been a significant market growth, moving 91.2 billion dollars. The present paper aimed to identify several organic production support programs, especially the Brazilian Food Acquisition Program (PAA). To this end, we used theoretical references about the theme, prioritizing the consultation of scientific articles and data from FiBL (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture). Results help understanding the increase in consumption, and they are associated with public policies that have been present in different parts of the world, more significantly in Europe and USA. However, it is necessary to note that support programs for the sector must be flexible and adapt to local capacities. It is worth emphasizing the importance of organic production units in Brazil, which have consistently increased the country’s production, with direct support from PAA, and benefiting from the use of local family farming products in the National School Nutrition Program (PNAE).

Key words: Global organic market, support policies, organics in Brazil.