The expansion of agrohidronegócio sugarcane in the Pontal do Paranapanema (SP) and developments for agroecology: reproductive strategies of peasants

Abstract

Agroecology is now gaining more recognition in academia as a science. As a result, there are various suggestions, perspectives and points of view among research groups as to what agroecology means and how agroecologycal knowledge is interpreted and practiced as an alternative model for peasant agriculture. Theoretical approaches allow agroecology to be defined in several aspects, leading to a realization that this model represents a break with previous references. It is concerned with the environmental dimension, seeking to eliminate the use of chemical products in order to stop environmental degradation while promoting cultivation techniques that take into consideration the dynamics of nature to the benefit of the work process. At the same time, the social dimension is fundamental, including the production of diverse healthy foods in good quantities, giving priority to family-based work, and, mindful of the cultural dimension throughout the process, recreating and adapting traditional work techniques to enable individual identity to be maintained in the field of agroecologycal production. We seek, through this research project, to identify the challenges faced by settler farmers as they emerge from the fight for land in the Pontal do Paranapanema, SP, recreating the conditions of life and work before the advance of the sugar cane industry. We note the impossibility of coexistence on the same land as the sugar cane industry due to the conflict between agroecologycal practices and the activities of the sugarcane agro-industry, which is based on the degradation of land and water, and the health of animals, workers, and human beings in general. (AU)