Desenvolvimento territorial endógeno em ambientes de montanha: estudos de caso em Nova Friburgo (RJ) e no Alto Camaquã (RS)

Abstract

The thesis assumes that culture, know-how, the modus vivendi, and the territorial capital, are crucial in differentiating products and services offered by farmers and ranchers who live and (re) produce in mountainous environments. Thus, in order to foster sustainability in these environments, it is suggested that for the proper management of agro-ecosystems in these areas, agroecological practices should be the technological basis, methodological, sociological and epistemological. Thus, it is considered of paramount importance to the highlander farmers to appropriate the notion of territory and knowledge and agro-ecological processes, so that they have autonomy in the search paths that enable better conditions of stay and practice of agriculture in the mountains. In this sense, the proposal is that local development is rooted in inbreeding in leadership, participation, conservation of natural resources and the socio-cultural heritage and the vitality of the political-institutional and economic relations. Thus, it is important to point out that the proper maintenance of the territory implies more balanced environments in product differentiation and appreciation of local culture. For all this, the thesis will seek to answer the following research problem: How endogenous territorial aspects related to family agroecological production, may enhance sustainable rural development processes in mountain environments? The purpose of it is to assess how spatial aspects related to family farming, can be valued in the creation of sustainable rural development processes in mountain environments, using this agroecology. Therefore, we conducted case studies in the Fazenda Rio Grande community in the municipality of Nova Friburgo (RJ), and the region of Alto Camaquã (RS) to assess the perception of farmers about the territorial aspects. The results showed that some cultural aspects of farmers in Fazenda Rio Grande, Nova Friburgo has been lost over time, as the production of bread white corn meal, for example, but on the other hand, the community has organized for access to public policies and adoption of conservation tillage practices such as green manure and tillage. With regard to research carried out in the territory of the Alto Camaquã, data analysis reveals a family livestock peasant-based, where the actors and subjects involved in Project Alto Camaquã - aimed at enhancement of the site and its resources as strategies for access the different markets - handle the agricultural ecosystems in order to keep alive local traditions. Another aspect that should be considered in maintaining this modus operandi and conservation of natural resources, is given due to the isolation of farmers in this region, given the great distances that separate the properties and the territory in relation to urban areas, associated with not adopting of "technological packages" used in an industrial base of agriculture.