Quem Fica de Fora do Pronaf?

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes barriers to accessing the National Program for Strengthening Family Agriculture (Pronaf) in Brazil. It identifies significant regional disparities in credit access, highlighting that technical assistance and rural extension (ATER) and membership in cooperatives are critical determinants for obtaining credit. The study emphasizes that while Pronaf is essential for financial resilience, it must be integrated with complementary public policies to enhance the productive and climate resilience of family farmers.

• The National Program for Strengthening Family Agriculture (Pronaf) is the primary federal public policy for supporting family agriculture in Brazil, providing subsidized credit with reduced interest rates. For the 2025/2026 Harvest Plan (Plano Safra), the federal government allocated R$ 78.2 billion to the program, with over R$ 8.26 billion in subsidies.
• Access to Pronaf is highly unequal across Brazilian regions. Based on 2017 Agricultural Census data, the average municipal access in the South region is approximately 21%, which is about five times higher than the access in the North region (4%) and significantly higher than in the Northeast (5%).
• Technical assistance and rural extension (ATER) and cooperative membership are the primary drivers for increasing credit access. Simulation results show that ATER is the most relevant factor for increasing access in the North and Northeast regions, while cooperative association is the most significant factor for the Southeast and Center-West regions.
• There are significant gender disparities in credit access. While women lead 20% of family properties, only about 13% of Pronaf loans were directed to properties managed by women. On average, rural establishments managed by women have a 16 percentage point lower access rate to Pronaf compared to those managed by men.
• The 'Pronaf Mulher' program, created in 2003 to address gender barriers, has seen growth in disbursements, rising 351% from R$ 59.38 million in the 2020/2021 Harvest Plan to R$ 268.03 million in 2024/2025. However, its share of the total Pronaf remains small, increasing from 0.18% to 0.41% in the same period.
• Access to credit is hindered by extensive documentation requirements. Beyond the Family Agriculture Registry (CAF), farmers must provide identification, marriage certificates, proof of residence, and various land-related documents such as the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR), Rural Territorial Tax (ITR), and the Rural Property Registration Certificate (CCIR).
• Federal spending on ATER has shown a downward trend in real terms. For the 2025/2026 Harvest Plan, only R$ 240 million was allocated to ATER, a value lower than in previous years. This decline is particularly concerning for regions most susceptible to climate change, where ATER is often cited as the main barrier to climate adaptation.

APA

Leal, A., Assunção, J., & Hoover, N. (2026). Quem Fica de Fora do Pronaf? Climate Policy Initiative. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Quem-Fica-de-Fora-do-Pronaf.pdf

Chicago

Leal, Alan, Juliano Assunção, and Natalie Hoover. Quem Fica de Fora do Pronaf? Climate Policy Initiative, 2026. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Quem-Fica-de-Fora-do-Pronaf.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Leal |first1=Alan |last2=Assunção |first2=Juliano |last3=Hoover |first3=Natalie |title=Quem Fica de Fora do Pronaf? |publisher=Climate Policy Initiative |date=March 2026 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Quem-Fica-de-Fora-do-Pronaf.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{leal2026quem, author = {Leal, Alan and Assunção, Juliano and Hoover, Natalie}, title = {{Quem Fica de Fora do Pronaf?}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Quem-Fica-de-Fora-do-Pronaf.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }