Incentivo à produção agroecológica em assentamentos do Movimento dos Trabalhadores e Trabalhadoras por Direitos (MTD)

Os assentamentos periurbanos do Movimento dos Trabalhadores e Trabalhadoras por Direitos (MTD) em Vitória da Conquista – Bahia encontram-se em realidade precária, com pouca visibilidade por parte dos órgãos públicos para o atendimento de suas necessidades básicas. Nestes assentamentos as famílias estabelecem pequenas áreas de cultivos, principalmente para o autoconsumo, com pouca ou nenhuma instrução sobre como manejar e conservar os recursos de sua propriedade e, ao mesmo tempo, aumentar a produção ou torná-la mais saudável. Assim, o projeto de extensão “Incentivo à Produção Agroecológica em Assentamentos do Movimento dos Trabalhadores e Trabalhadoras por Direitos (MTD) em Vitória da Conquista – BA” foi desenvolvido com o objetivo de difundir os conhecimentos agroecológicos e buscou a inserção de um modelo de produção que agregasse maior sustentabilidade ambiental, para possibilitar melhoria na qualidade da alimentação, na geração de renda e no resgate da autoestima destes assentados. A execução do projeto deu-se por meio de reuniões, palestras, capacitações e visitas de orientação técnica em que os conhecimentos da equipe foram somados ao conhecimento prático dos assentados, resultando na troca de saberes, fomentando uma forma de produção economicamente viável e sustentável. Palavras-chave: Agroecologia; Agricultura Periurbana; Movimento Social; Desenvolvimento Sustentável Incentives to agroecological production in settlements of the Workers’ Rights Movement (MTD) Abstract: The peri-urban settlements of the Workers' Rights Movement (MTD), in Vitória da Conquista found themselves in a precarious reality, with little visibility from public agencies to meet their basic needs. In these settlements, families establish small areas for crops, mainly for self-consumption, with little or no instruction on how to manage and preserve the resources of their property and increase production and make it healthier at the same time. Thus, the extension project "Encouraging Agroecological Production in Settlements of the Workers' Rights Movement in Vitória da Conquista - BA" was developed with the aim of agroecological knowledge disseminating and sought the insertion of a production model that adds greater environmental sustainability, to enable improvement in the quality of food, in the income generation and the building up of these settlers' self-esteem. This project execution was made possible through meetings, lectures, training, and technical guidance visits in which the team formation was added to the practical experience of the settlers, resulting in knowledge exchange, fostering an economically viable and sustainable production model. Keywords: Agroecology; Periurban Agriculture; Social Movement; Sustainable Development

Uma revisão bibliográfica do tipo scopping/mapping sobre a Agricultura Urbana e Periurbana

The world is undergoing an accelerated urbanization process marked by social and environmental imbalances. In this context, urban and periurban agriculture (UPA) emerges as an alternative to sustainable urbanization mainly due to its contribution to food security, reduction of environmental impact, revitalization of urban areas, integration of households and physical and psychological well-being increasing. The purpose of this paper is to understand how academic literature deals with urban and periurban agriculture. For that, a scoping / mapping literature review was carried out and its results were presented after identification of relevant scientific studies on UPA, its main aspects, ways in which the term has been defined; and discussion about themes from the selected articles. After this review, the conclusions are: the scientific production on the subject is undergoing high growth rates in recent years; the relationship between UPA and urban dynamics is more important for the definition of UPA than the location of agriculture; and that the aspects that authors found most interesting are: concept and panorama, urban planning and governance, quantitative potential, environment, risk of contamination and techniques and productivity.

The Potential Role of Short Food Supply Chains in Strengthening Periurban Agriculture in Spain: The Cases of Madrid and Barcelona

Periurban agriculture is being hit by the effects of the globalized food system, as well as by concrete aspects of urban sprawl. Nonetheless, proximity to the main markets provides an opportunity to sustain agriculture in highly urbanized areas. In this sense, an increasing number of local initiatives is arising within the context of Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs). The economic impact of these initiatives, however, is limited by problems and inefficiencies that hinder their capacity to scale up. The present paper sets forth the results of a research project developed in Madrid and Cataluña. The study is based upon documentary and empirical research addressing the main problems periurban farmers are facing in relation to local food distribution. Among other factors, these refer to regulatory barriers, logistics, competition and dealing with consumers’ preferences. We conducted a questionnaire with a representative group of farmers from each region in three towns presenting different demographic sizes along with another questionnaire extended to the owners of small grocery stores, who play a vital role in the supply of fresh food in these municipalities. Our research demonstrates that most of the problems arising when dealing with SFSCS can be solved by introducing new forms of cooperation among the different agents of the food chain.