The insertion of Agroecology at the Biology Institute of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (IB-UFRJ)

Abstract

Agroecology, an emerging and transdisciplinary science, is still being established at Brazilian
universities. At the IB-UFRJ, its entry occurred through Capim Limão extension project, created
by student’s initiative in 2006. In 2010, members of the project built a course on Agroecology
with a professor from the Ecology department. In order to understand how agroecology
is presented to Biology students, its impact on the biologist’s formation, and the process its
insertion into the curriculum, two questionnaires were developed. Results indicate that 77% of
the interviewees did not know Agroecology before entering the UFRJ, and 86% cited Capim
Limão as how they had contact with the theme. Extension projects contribute to Agroecology
dissemination at the university and to society, generating impacts on the personal and professional
lives of the students. The insertion of the discipline is an achievement to renew the
curriculum of UFRJ biologists.