4.2 Article

Participatory construction in agroforestry systems in family farming: ways for the agroecological transition in Brazil

Journal

AGROECOLOGY AND SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS
Volume 43, Issue 2, Pages 180-200

Publisher

TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC
DOI: 10.1080/21683565.2018.1509167

Keywords

Knowledge construction; sustainable agriculture; ecological restoration

Funding

  1. Conselho Nacional deDesenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico e Ministerio do Desenvolvimento Agrario [Edital MDA/CNPq 039/2014, CNPq 472894/2014-15]
  2. Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) [2017/04577-1]

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This article aims to analyze the implementation of Agroforestry Systems (AFS) by family farmers, assessing their contribution to agroecological transition and understanding the process of knowledge construction. The study was carried out in family farming farms in the Sumare Rural Settlement, and in the area of Family Farming and Agroecological Cooperative (Cooperacra), respectively located in the municipalities of Sumare and Americana, Sao Paulo State, Brazil. The methodology was based on a case study, using Focal Groups and Field Notes as research instruments. On the basis of our analysis, there were social changes in the farmers' organization and in the decision-making process, as well as in the landscape in the areas of AFS and surroundings, where agroecological principles were also applied to production. In Sumare, the four farmers participating in the project organized themselves to obtain organic certification. Cooperacra, which works with a group of 10 farmers advanced in the process of agroecological transition, starting from an intensive organic horticulture production system to a biodiverse agroforestry system. Despite the short time of the project, the construction of knowledge in relation to agroforestry systems was perceived through management techniques incorporated by the farmers in their agroecosystems. The arboreal component, which thus far the farmers had seen as something to be eliminated to realize agriculture, was introduced and became a relevant part of the process. The results demonstrate the feasibility and potential of AFS in the process of agroecological transition toward a more sustainable agriculture.

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