Household farmers: dairy production as locus of public policies in Parana State, Brazil

This work analyses the effectiveness of public policies in Parana State, Brazil, related to dairy production in a way to support household farmers, based on the government programme called Milk for Children. From a historical-economic context it verifies which opportunities the dairy sector offers to household farming, to characterize it in the guideline of the actions from Parana's government, aiming to partially compensate the exclusion of this category of farmers during the so-called conservative modernization of the agriculture. The results indicate that significant benefits can be drawn, for from producer and poor population from the public policies of support to household farming that guarantee acquisition of first need product such as milk.