SOUSA, G. M. C.; http://lattes.cnpq.br/3589796416523976; SOUSA, Geísa Maria Costa de.
Resumo:
This work aims to analyze how peasants from the municipality of Alagoa Nova, involved in
the Feira Agropecuária de Campina Grande – FEAGRO/CG, have been achieving
sustainability in the trading process. Also, it describes their life trajectory before and after
their engaging in this commercial venture which has presented specificities in trading
agricultural products, besides verifying the changes occurred between these peasants
concerning sustainability and their life quality. The analyses carried out in this study were
based on theoretical approaches related to peasantry and sustainability build-up in different
dimensions: economic, social, cultural, environmental, geographic, politico-institutional, and
ethical. To carry out the field research, we conducted a total of 29 (twenty-nine) semistructured interviews with peasants and people involved in FEAGRO. A qualitative/quantitative methodology was used to achieve the study objectives. The results
showed that the peasants have been searching for sustainability - economic, socio-cultural,
geographic, environmental, and ethic – by improving their „life quality‟ and building
autonomy. This can be clearly noticed in direct trading of their farming products, eliminating
the figure of brokers in diversifying production, adding value to the products from their
production units, using organic agriculture, and accomplishing other trading activities.
However, with regard to the political-institutional sustainability issue, the FEAGRO peasants have not achieved political and participative awareness crucial to build autonomy.