The author focuses on the evaluation of 20 years of public policies in favour of family farming in Brazil, and in particular on the PRONAF (Programa Nacional de Fortalecimento da Agricultura Familiar – National Programme for Strengthening Family Farming). Launched in 1995 as the result of an intense involvement of family farming organizations, the PRONAF  reaches today all the Brazilian countryside in all its diversity. During the last 20 years, the PRONAF assigned approximately $ 160 billion to Brazilian family farmers, by providing micro-finance and rural credit to finance agricultural activities and buy means of transport and equipment.

The book also shed lights on other policies for family farming in Brazil such as the public purchases programme, the national school meal programme, the national policy for technical assistance and rural extension and various insurance schemes against whether-related losses and price volatility.

 Given the importance of this program at both national and global level, the Ministry of Agrarian Development and FAO invited Mr. Valter Bianchini to report about these 20 years of activity, as an example of public policy and participatory construction between government, society and academia.