Access to the National Program for Strengthening Family Farming: Regional Inequalities in Rural Credit Policy in Brazil

The paper analyzes how regional inequalities condition access to rural credit under the National Program for Strengthening Family Farming (Pronaf). The objective is to understand the extent to which certain state capacities and federal arrangements may affect the program's effectiveness at the territorial level. The research adopted a qualitative approach, combining document analysis with the interpretation of secondary data from the Agricultural Census (IBGE), the Rural Credit Panel (Central Bank of Brazil), and the Profile of Brazilian Municipalities (MUNIC/IBGE), referring to the 2021/2022 to 2023/2024 harvests. The results indicate a strong concentration of operations in the South region, related to greater access to technical assistance and rural extension, organizational density via associations, and banking presence. In contrast, the North and Northeast regions, which represent a significant portion of the universe analyzed, have lower institutional density, as well as lower numbers and contracted values. It is concluded that, although conceived as a redistributive instrument, Pronaf still reproduces historical inequalities, constituting an emblematic case of the redistributive paradox of public policies in unequal federal contexts.