Executive Summary:

This document analyzes the evolution of public policies aimed at small-scale family farming in Chile between 1990 and 2023, using the Coquimbo Region as an empirical case study. Based on in-depth interviews, ethnographic observation, and a review of institutional and press documents, the paper argues that government action during this period oscillated between three perspectives on small-scale producers: as entrepreneurs capable of competing in international markets, as a vulnerable population requiring targeted assistance, and as guardians of environmental sustainability and food sovereignty. Each of these perspectives has translated into specific programs and initiatives that coexist within the current policy framework, resulting in a fragmented and disjointed state institutional structure. The case of Coquimbo shows that advocacy by local actors can generate instruments relevant to territorial needs, provided they are not standardized to align with the central government’s programmatic framework. It is concluded that the main challenge at national level is to coordinate a programmatic framework that guarantees differentiated responses based on production profile and territorial relevance in the face of both old and new challenges facing family farming.

Keywords: Family farming , public policy, development, Chile.