Sousa, Fernando Ruivo deAguiar, CarlosAveiro, Dina2014-10-202014-10-202012Sousa, Fernando Ruivo de; Aguiar, Carlos; Aveiro, Dina (2012). Mirandesa meat PDO: The strategies of family-farm systems for their governance. In 10th European IFSA Symposium. Aarhus, Denmarkhttp://hdl.handle.net/10198/10899Mirandesa Meat, is one PDO (since 1995), that has for production region a small area from the northeast of Portugal far away from the great centers of consumption. The producers are 316, from which 180 formed a group producers (cooperative) that manages the PDO. All are organized in family-farm systems. Most, develop poli-cultural production systems, are retired or with multiple sources of income, and explore a small number of cows (average of 8 cows). Over 90% of the production is sold in big population centres, with higher social stratification, localized more than 250Km from the production region. With the consumers far away from the local production, the strategy of these producers after organized were based on three pillars: interactive communication through promotion and direct sales in fairs, progression in the value chain through product differentiation and valuing the certified dimension through the PDO and the recognition of Mirandesa meat derivatives like the example of Mirandesa sausage, a Slow food presidia. The interactive communication between producers and consumers, in this context, becomes more vital as more distant producers and consumers are, once the latter lose direct control on the production and sale of food. For small producers it’s vital the utilization of different kinds of certification, because through their utilization they have the possibility to positively differentiate on the market. The PDO Carne Mirandesa, has all it’s production sold since 1998. In the year 2010 it sold 268t from 1960 carcasses. Nationally, it’s the PDO that pays the highest value to producers (5.25€/Kg). In the production region, the carcasses of the same type that aren’t PDO, are paid an average price of 4€/Kg, being observed a 31% difference. The paper, analyses the strategy of approaching the producers and consumers by allowing the first a fair valuation of the product and the latter have more information and greater security in choice.engconference object