The national program for strengthening family farming and the socioeconomic development of municipalities in Paraná: an analysis using Propensity Score Matching

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24302/drd.v15.5221

Abstract

This study evaluated the impact of the National Program for Strengthening Family Farming (PRONAF) on the socioeconomic development of municipalities in Paraná. To this end, the Propensity Score Matching method was applied, considering, for the year 2019, the municipalities that included the highest number of family farmers in PRONAF (treatment group) compared to those that included the fewest (control group), in order to investigate the effect of this inclusion on the Ipardes Municipal Development Index (IPDM — a proxy for socioeconomic development) and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita (a proxy for economic growth). It is emphasized that the method used allows for causal inference, highlighting that the analyzed effect is not limited to the direct beneficiaries of PRONAF, but also considers the indirect impact on the overall development of the municipality. As a corollary, an initial analysis revealed a heterogeneous spatial distribution of Pronaf’s resources and projects among the municipalities of Paraná, with a decrease in such investments over time. Regarding the effects of the policy on socioeconomic development, a positive and statistically significant impact on both the IPDM and the GDP per capita of the analyzed municipalities was identified.

Keywords: family farming; PRONAF; socioeconomic development; propensity score matching; Paraná municipalities.

Author Biographies

  • Everaldo Veres Zahaikevitch, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná

    Doutor em Engenharia da Produção pela Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR). Professor do Instituto Federal do Paraná. Ponta Grossa. Paraná. Brasil.

  • Juliana Vitoria Messias Bittencourt, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná

    Doutora em Genética Molecular pela University of Reading, Inglaterra. Professora da Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná - Câmpus Ponta Grossa, docente do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia de Produção (PPGEP). Ponta Grossa. Paraná. Brasil.

  • Augusta Pelinski Raiher, Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa

    Doutora em Economia do Desenvolvimento pela Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Docente do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Economia e do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Sociais da Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa. Ponta Grossa. Paraná. Brasil. 

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Published

2025-06-25

Issue

Vol. 15 (2025)

Section

Artigos

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How to Cite

ZAHAIKEVITCH, Everaldo Veres; BITTENCOURT, Juliana Vitoria Messias; RAIHER, Augusta Pelinski. The national program for strengthening family farming and the socioeconomic development of municipalities in Paraná: an analysis using Propensity Score Matching. DRd - Desenvolvimento Regional em debate, [S. l.], v. 15, p. 298–320, 2025. DOI: 10.24302/drd.v15.5221. Disponível em: https://periodicos.unc.br/index.php/drd/article/view/5221. Acesso em: 26 jun. 2025.