Project CASA UFRJ - Academic Community that gives Support to Agriculture: an experience of approach between producers and consumers at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Abstract

This paper reports a pilot project conducted at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)
in 2016, which aimed the structuring of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). The participants
were farmers of the Agroecological Fair and the academic community. The project
sought to promote the construction of agroecological knowledge by discussing food production
and consumption, labor and economic relations, environmental preservation and food security.
The methodology included the weekly delivery of food baskets at the Agroecological Fair,
through the CASA - Academic Community Supported Agriculture, where consumers become
“prosumers”, that is, active consumers aware of the origin of food. The main result of the experiment
was highlighting the consumer culture at UFRJ, the limitations to attract different groups
of the academic community and the potential of the project due to the interest of the participating
(farmers, staff and prosumers).