Da concentração de poder à (in)segurança alimentar : Conselhos de Alimentação Escolar (CAEs) na comunidade escolar em Campina Grande

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the role of the School Feeding Councils (CAEs) in partnership with the municipal schools of Campina Grande in combating food insecurity among students between 2022 and 2024. By seeking to understand the strategies adopted to guarantee food and nutritional security for students, the study reveals a complex dynamic of power relations and hierarchies that permeate the implementation of the National School Feeding Program (PNAE) in the municipality. The research deepens our understanding of the power dynamics that influence the implementation of public food security policies at local level, focusing on the concentration of power in the CAEs. It was observed that although CAEs are spaces for social participation, decision-making is often concentrated in the hands of a restricted group of members, usually the most influential, such as government representatives, school principals and some health professionals. This dynamic can marginalize the participation of other important actors, such as parents, students and representatives of civil society, who may have their voices and demands less heard The research seeks to understand how the concentration of power in the CAEs affects the participation of the school community in decision-making and social control of the PNAE. It analyzes the representativeness of the different segments in the CAEs, the forms of participation in decision-making and the challenges to ensuring effective social participation. By analyzing the participation of the school community in the CAEs, the study seeks to understand the representativeness of the different segments and the forms of participation in decision-making, highlighting the challenges to ensuring effective social participation.