Alimentação escolar como política articuladora do desenvolvimento regional

This study investigates the role of school feeding as a public policy promoting regional development in Brazil, moving beyond a traditional welfare-based approach. Starting from the recognition that programs such as the National School Feeding Program (PNAE) integrate nutritional, educational, economic, and social dimensions, the article seeks to analyze the interfaces between school feeding and regional development. The research is structured around three analytical dimensions (territorial, institutional, and economic) and adopts a qualitative approach based on bibliographic review and analysis of municipal experiences. The findings indicate that food procurement from family farming, as promoted by the PNAE, strengthens regional economic circuits, generates employment, values traditional knowledge, and enhances the integration of public policies. The study also shows that coordinated action between the State and local actors is essential to maximize the territorial impact of the policy. It concludes that school feeding, when conceived as an articulating policy, can serve as a vector of equity, sustainability, and territorial reorganization, contributing to the construction of more cohesive and just territories.