Ecological agriculture in the semiarid of Pernambuco state: pathways to build up sustainable food systems

Abstract

The challenge of reconciling agricultural production, income generation and conservation of
natural resources is one of the major impasses of our days, particularly in regions that are more
susceptible to climate change, such as the semiarid region of Brazil. The Sabiá Agroecological
Development Center, located in Pernambuco, has been developing a series of initiatives to
promote agroecology in the state. With support from the German cooperation agency MISEREOR,
a comparative study was carried out in several municipalities in the Agreste and Sertão
regions of Pernambuco, aiming to demonstrate the importance of an agroecological approach
in the construction of more sustainable food systems. A total of 419 families were interviewed
and the results indicate that agricultural production units that adopt agroecological methods
produce more food, generate more income and conserve natural resources when compared
to conventional ones.