Agroecological peasant territories: resistance and existence in the struggle for emancipation in Brazil

Abstract

We explore peasant territories as an emancipatory alternative in the context of authoritarian populism and neo-liberalism by focusing on two agroecological peasant territories in Brazil. We argue that territories harbour socio-ecological, cultural-political and politico-institutional bases that engender different forms of resistance and existence. Peasant territories build and defend emancipatory alternatives by creating self-governed knowledge and production systems, by problematising and mobilising against exploitative relations, and by transforming parts of the state. We conclude that peasant territories provide a basis for emancipatory transformation. What is more, they can be considered as emancipatory alternatives in themselves.

What grows from a pandemic? Toward an abolitionist agroecology

“…Methodologically, agroecologists in this vein foreground participatory methods of dialogue, experimentation, and horizontal learning and practice (Martínez-Torres and Rosset 2014;Bezner Kerr et al 2019). Politically, they advance a non-homogeneous strategy of intersectional alliance-building (USFSA 2018; Anderson et al 2019), strengthening the grassroots as a space for politics (Roman-Alcalá 2020), and critically engaging and transforming parts of the state (Giraldo and McCune 2019;van den Berg et al 2020).…”

Building movements for transformation : defending and advancing agroecology in Brazil

“…These organisations are united on the basis of shared grievances against agri-business and a wish for agroecological alternatives. The alliance offers a pool of affective relations which have been for demonstrations against austerity measures, to construct alternatives and to advance specific policies (Van den Berg et al 2019). This includes the Food Acquisition Policy (PAA), which provides funds for food transactions between social welfare institutions and peasant organisations, and the National School Feeding Law (PNAE), which obliges public schools to purchase at least 30% of their foods for school meals from local family peasants.…”

“…It mobilise peoples' grievances from exploitative relations and wishes for a different ways of life to form alliances between movements of peasants, women, rural workers, researchers, students and consumers, that expose, problematise and resist the ongoing reproduction of harmful power relations and foster alternatives. In Brazil, these alliances have been mobilised , to challenge agribusiness and neoliberalism and foster agroecology by demonstrating against the austerity measures proposed by the Temer government, pushing for for the implementation of the Food Acquisition Programme, and demanding for the recognition of women, peasant, Black and Indigenous people and their ways of doing (see also van den Berg et al 2019). In the literature on transition management, some scholars have argued that transition coalitions tend to overlook neo-liberal agents such as agribusiness and thereby run the risk of reproducing harmful power relations (e.g.…”

“…The analysis concords with proponents of a more political approach to scaling, who argue that institutional upscaling efforts, as the cooperation with powerful agents to create an enabling institutional environment, does not challenge underlying structures of power Rosset 2017, Giraldo and. However, while institutional politics in Brazil did not pose a fundamental challenge to the authority of the state, it did address some local demands such as those for the support of alternative markets and farming practices, which challenged authority at the local or territorial level (see also van den Berg et al 2019). As such, upscaling at the national level, can transform structures of power at the local level, if local demands are adequately addressed.…”

“…Municipalities in the Zona da Mata hosted several hundred CEB groups. Other encounters took place at the Pastoral da Juventude Rural which has constituencies in many municipalities and organise trainings for rural youth that are also based on Liberation Theology (Goris et al 2019). Yet another type of encounter was the intercâmbios organised by researchers from the Federal University of Viçosa and peasant organisations (Zanelli et al 2015).…”