Agroecology: perception of the family farmers of the municipality of Picuí – Paraíba

Abstract

Agroecology is a science that emerged in the 1970, as a way of establishing a theoretical basis
for these different movements of non-conventional agriculture. Considering that agroecology is
gaining more and more space in rural areas, this work aimed to evaluate the perception of family
farmers in the municipality of Picuí - Paraíba on agroecological practices. The case study
was established as a basic and field research, in the Pedreiras, Mendes and Barra do Carrapato
sites. The research was conducted in April 2017. During the research it was found that most
of the family farmers interviewed are not aware of agroecological practices. In response to the
questionnaires all producers stated that their final production is intended for own consumption
and marketed the surplus. Even claiming to be unaware, there are some practices used in the
studied community that go against agroecological methods.