A bit more about my host family

This is where I´ll be for the next two weeks

"Direct from the Field" is a component of the government's food security program that allows farmers to sell their produce directly to the consumer.

Although the program is not perfect, Marcio says that by selling 20% of his harvest directly to the consumer, he makes more money than he does by selling the other 80% of his harvest to middlemen and other markets.

Marcio's market days in Belo Horizonte are Tuesdays and Fridays. He leaves home at 1:00 a.m. to prepare his two booths for the 6:00 a.m. One of his spots is in the heart of downtown, and the other one is just across the viaduct from the center.

Since he has been doing this for many years now, he has built up a strong clientele that depends on his produce twice a week. His return customers know where their produce is coming from, and they also know that their money is going directly to Marcio. He jokes around with shoppers and is very friendly with them  - he's developed these relationships for over a decade.

He grows and sells arugula, spinach, mustard leaves, head lettuce, leaf lettuce, mint, parsley, basil, broccoli, and tomatoes.

He says his biggest competitor is the supermarket because he can't offer the variety. Many consumers want to be able to buy all of their groceries (and other products) in one trip. They can't do that at Marcio's booth. He realized that if he doesn't carry staple products, like eggs, oranges, and bananas, his customers would go elsewhere. So he buys them in bulk and resells them to his customers.

Many of the other producers near Marcio only produce lettuce. He told me that if he stocked his stand with only lettuce, he wouldn't sell anything. So he had to diversify to meet the demands of the market.

He has taken advantage of these programs to help his family and made tremendous sacrifices to be able to provide for his family, but he knows that it will pay dividends. His oldest son graduated high school and is in the middle of his first year of university. His other kids are well on their way to complete school with the expectation that they go to college.