Abordagem territorial e enfoques agroecológicos no agreste/brejo paraibano: desenhos, arranjos e relações.

Abstract

The researching area is the Planalto da Borborema, wasteland and swamp of Paraíba state in the North-east of Brazilian territory. The objective of this work is to analyze the construction of an agricultural territory taking into account local experiences besides social and environmental relations that have been developed in the wasteland and heath of Paraíba. The analysis of the experiences consider agricultural working families - in which were inserted mediators like non-governmental organizations (ONGs), syndicates and researching institutes - and consumers of organic products. The empirical research in addition to the participative observation was considered as methodological procedures. The territorial approach and the ecological politics constitute the theoretical basis of this work within a constant critical-reflexive analysis procedure of the socio-environment component. The assumption of this thesis is that the agrarian structure of the large state and the degradation of the environment are the main problem for the accomplishment of a sustainable familiar agriculture of a social, economic and ecological form. The territorial approach contemplates the process of social organizations from the country properties and its procedures. An area of small farms was elected to identify socio-environmental elements. The small farms Utopia, São Tomé de Cima, in the city of Alagoa Nova, were the main basis of the case of study. Other small farms Floriano, Retiro, Lagoa de Barro and Oiti, situated in the city of Lagoa Seca, complemented the empirical research. The space of this research is marked by the hydrographical basin of the Mamanguape River, which served as a colonial vein to conquer and populate the area. The ecological environment of heath has one of the best grounds of the territory, a thing that contributed to a strong concentration of land and local political power disputes. In this process, it is given credit the idea of even with an existing familiar agriculture, the ecological agriculture will only be implanted if there is strong process of transformation of the agrarian space and if there is also a democratization of the natural resources, so that the familiar agriculturists can reach the full development of a sustainable territory.