A Pedagogia da alternância e a construção do conhecimento agroecológico no norte do estado do Espírito Santo: desafios e possibilidades.

Abstract

The emergence and advancement of agribusiness in the north of Espírito Santo state has brought about profound environmental, social, political and economic transformations in its territory. This caused the organization of several people who, by means of individual and collective initiatives through organizations, social and professional movements, sought alternatives to oppose this system. In this sense, the movement that started with alternative agriculture, especially in the 80's, shifted to agroecology in the end of 1990 and since then, it has been emerging as a possibility to overcome the hegemonic system widely installed in the territory. Historically, the Ceffas Family Training Centers have been an important partner of peasants by contributing to their struggles and by being an important educator of leaders and practitioners of agroecology - since many of them, at some point in their life, established some kind of relationship with these schools. However, in the last few years, some questions have arisen regarding the actual contribution of secondary schools that offer technical courses in agriculture and livestock, in the construction of agroecological knowledge. Thus, with the present study, we seek to deepen these questions, aiming to investigate the relationship between these schools and the construction of agroecological knowledge. To this end, we relied on action research, which enabled a participatory research involving, through Raceffaes, the representatives of the families and the educators of the schools and, through the ACA, the rural social organizations that relate to agroecology. The results show that Ceffas have not always had an alternative proposal regarding agriculture, but have always been committed to peasant causes and human development. From their involvement with alternative agriculture, especially with agriculture between the 1980s and the mid-1990s, and then with agroecology at the end of those years, the surveyed schools, despite the challenges faced in the political and pedagogical dimensions, are seeking to strengthen their agroecological praxis, strengthening their construction in the territories where they are inserted and contributing to overcome capitalism.