ENERGY ANALYSIS OF FAMILY FARMING PRODUCTS IN ALTERNATIVE FOOD NETWORKS: A LIFE CYCLE PERSPECTIVE

Lucas Figueiredo Machado; Karla Emmanuela Ribeiro Hora

Todos os Trabalhos

Trabalho

DOI

10.29327/9786527226680.1449636

Título do Trabalho

ENERGY ANALYSIS OF FAMILY FARMING PRODUCTS IN ALTERNATIVE FOOD NETWORKS: A LIFE CYCLE PERSPECTIVE

Autores

Lucas Figueiredo Machado
Karla Emmanuela Ribeiro Hora

Modalidade

IRSA - Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (01/10/2025 a 20/01/2026)

Área temática

IRSA 14 - Global Crises and Socio-ecological Transitions in Rural Territories

Data de Publicação

06/08/2026

País da Publicação

Brasil

Idioma da Publicação

pt-BR

Página do Trabalho

https://www.even3.com.br/anais/sober-irsa2026/1449636-energy-analysis-of-family-farming-products-in-alternative-food-networks--a-life-cycle-perspective

ISBN

978-65-272-2668-0

Palavras-Chave

energy analysis, alternative food networks, life cycle assessment, agroecological transition, family farming.

Resumo

This study proposes a methodology for conducting an Energy Analysis of family farming food products within Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) in Brazil, adopting a rigorous life cycle perspective. The research addresses a significant gap in literature, which is currently dominated by North American and European contexts. It also represents a dedicated effort to identify opportunities for reducing the energy costs of food, through both innovative AFN organizational arrangements and the implementation of agroecological transition practices. The methodology is based on detailed interviews focused on material and energy accountability. It generates food energy intensity results segmented by life cycle stages and for specific products, including, for example, milk, peeled cassava, beans, peeled pumpkin, garlic, and cassava flour. A central objective is the adoption of consistent methodological choices that account for the fundamental differences between family farming/AFNs and the “conventional” industrial food system. To achieve this, the framework utilizes flexible system limits and allocation criteria that mirror the specific management decisions and perceptions of farming families. Furthermore, the study introduces an original life cycle structure specific to family farming. This structure highlights internal and manufactured inputs, rural family agro-industrial processing, and localized transportation and retailing, thereby broadening the analytical scope beyond primary production to cover the entire “scope of family farming operations”. The methodology was validated through four case studies in the State of Goiás, Brazil, involving families engaged in farmers' fairs, basket schemes, farm-to-school programs, and home deliveries in 2019. Preliminary results confirm the viability of this approach, providing a framework for comparisons with conventional food systems wherever equivalent data is available. The findings detail how energy flows are intrinsically linked to family farming food products life cycle stages and to the strategies and practices adopted in AFN arrangements and agroecological transition processes.

Título do Evento: 16th World Congress of Rural Sociology and 64th Congress of the Brazilian Society of Rural Economics, Management and Sociology
Cidade do Evento: Porto Alegre
Título dos Anais do Evento: Anais do 64º Congresso da SOBER e XVI Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (IRSA)
Nome da Editora: Even3
Meio de Divulgação: Meio Digital
DOI

Como citar

MACHADO, Lucas Figueiredo; HORA, Karla Emmanuela Ribeiro. ENERGY ANALYSIS OF FAMILY FARMING PRODUCTS IN ALTERNATIVE FOOD NETWORKS: A LIFE CYCLE PERSPECTIVE.. In: Anais do 64º Congresso da SOBER e XVI Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (IRSA). Anais...Porto Alegre(RS) UFRGS, 2026. Disponível em: https//www.even3.com.br/anais/sober-irsa2026/1449636-ENERGY-ANALYSIS-OF-FAMILY-FARMING-PRODUCTS-IN-ALTERNATIVE-FOOD-NETWORKS--A-LIFE-CYCLE-PERSPECTIVE. Acesso em: 08/09/2026