Public procurement schemes for social consumption at educational institutions

Abstract

The limited rural development and the lack of opportunities to improve the local environment lead to a strong migration towards cities and to the impoverishment of the less urbanized areas. Internationally, there are cases where the School Feeding Programmes (SFPs) are collaborating with the local economies by buying their supplies from small scale producers. In this context, the main objective of this work is to define the strengths and critical points for the implementation of a scheme of public procurement of food from small farms for consumption in public educational institutions in Chile. In addition to collecting secondary information concerning the model implanted in Brazil and the operation of Chilean SFPs, a total of 64 interviews to producers (30), parents (31) and responsible for school canteens (3) placed in the province of Colchagua (O'Higgins Region) were done. The results showed a wide acceptance by respondents of the participation of small farmers in the Chilean SPF. However, some demands on the model were identified, as the timing of payments, regularity of deliveries and quality of the food offered, and the control and supervision of the proper functioning of the supply chain. Finally, the information gathered was synthesized using a SWOT matrix (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats).