Construindo Territórios Agroecológicos: aprendizagens, ação coletiva e política pública de agricultura urbana em Belo Horizonte (MG)

learning, collective action and public policy for urban agriculture in Belo Horizonte (MG)

Abstract

The metropolis of Belo Horizonte (MG), has stood out since the early 1990s in promoting public policy initiatives linked to food and nutritional security and encouraging urban agriculture. This paper will present the experience of a tripartite partnership between the local institutional governance (City Hall of  Belo Horizonte/SUSAN), the Alternative Technologies Exchange Network - REDE and the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). In early 2023, the Sustainable Territories Program (PTS), of the City Hall of Belo Horizonte (PBH), launched the second edition of the "Training Course for Agroecology and Urban Agriculture Promoters", targeting residents of the territories served by the Program (Ocupações Vitória, Esperança and Rosa Leão; Quilombo Mangueiras and Vila Cemig/Alto das Antenas) and also the participation of Collective and Community Production Units registered with the PBH and interested in this training. Adopting the "From Farmer to Farmer" methodology, the course, structured in thematic face-to-face modules and mobilization with collective actions together with the Local Committees and task forces in the territories of the PTS, promotes practical and interactive meetings with the participants, building agroecological learning and strengthening public policy.