Agroecology as a means of sustainability for family-based agriculture

Abstract

The object of this paper is to conduct a social, economic and environmental evaluation of the features which emerge from the practices adopted by APROFAM (Mossoró Agroecological Producers' Association) family farmers who sell their produce at an agroecological fair. We intend to analyze whether these practices promote the sustainable development of family-based agriculture. Dialogue interviews were conducted with six producers involved in APROFAM who market their production on a weekly basis. In addition, data were also obtained through in loco visits, photographs and qualitative-quantitative data collection which took place between January and March 2012. The creation of the fair provided market access and enabled the self-organization of producers in acquiring 'participative certification', as well as diversifying their production and increasing their family income, thereby encouraging families to remain in rural areas. Nevertheless, it was observed that there were challenges that needed to be overcome, for example 75% of interviewees were not able to calculate their production costs or measure quantities marketed. Among other problems, insufficient technical support and water resources hinder the progress of this mode of social organization.