THE POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE OF FOOD CONSUMPTION

EXPERIENCE OF THE RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION GROUP OF ELIZABETH TEIXEIRA PRODUCERS, LIMEIRA-SP

Abstract

In the context of large-scale industrial food production, which poses barriers to the development of small rural producers, social movements such as the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST) stand as fronts of resistance, practicing new forms of production and consumption relations. The Elizabeth Teixeira settlement, located in Limeira-SP and linked to the MST, stands out for adhering to agro-ecological modes of production, and for creating spaces for commercialization and consumption that are self-managed by a group of women farmers. Among these initiatives is the distribution of agroecological baskets to the Responsible Consumption Group (GCR) of Campinas-SP. For this article, some research questions were established, such as: what is the profile and motivations of consumers who participate in the consumption group? Do consumers support the demands and political action of the social movement from which they buy their food? In the consumers' perception, is the established consumption relationship characterized as “politics”? The results obtained show that there is a direct relationship between consumption and political support. As analyzed, organized consumers use their purchasing power as a way to affirm and materialize values ​​inherent to the MST's political project.