As organizações de agricultores no processo de ecologização na agricultura familiar no centro do RS

Abstract

The contemporary environmental concerns have influenced the family farming agriculture projects in their actions in the search for transition to ecologic farming standards. This article aims to analyze the process of incorporation of the environmental dimension by the family farming representative organizations and agrarian reform settlers in the central region of Rio Grande do Sul. For that purpose, a case study was held in that region, and the research data presented in this article were got using semi-structured interviews, held with the leadership of these organizations. The results show that the modernization process of the agriculture has created problems in economic, social and environmental order for the family farming in this region. Among the most marked problems are the specialization in a few productive activities (monoculture), the strong farmers dependency related to the external agents and environmental and human health risks. In front of that situation, the perspective of agriculture greening process used by the rural organizations can be viewed as projects to overcoming of the problems created by socioenvironmental crisis (each one of them in their own way); in the initiatives to rebuild the markets and forge in them a more autonomous participation of the farmers (fairs, direct sales, institutional markets); dialogue and establish partnerships with other sectors of society to strengthen food production prospect following socioenvironmental criteria. In this regard, one of the aspects what is most striking in the studied case is the differentiated value that the products called agroecological and organics have in the colonial commercialization channels. Both producers and consumers recognize in these products positive values and these factors strengthen the social bond between them.