Agroecological City: the engineering helping to build other economy

#SDGAction42924

Description

Intro

How to grow food for a growing population of unceasingly? The solution to this problem hegemonically defended by the current production has been the development of high-tech and high-impact technologies such as transgenic seeds, chemical fertilizers and agrochemicals. But if our efforts were concentrated in creating other types of solutions? Solutions that were less impacting to the environment and our health, and that they would be able to provide us with food at a price accessible. Inserted in this perspective, this work will focus on our experience with the creation of a solidarity economy project.

Objective of the practice

The Agroecological City project, the theme of this article, was created in partnership with the Regional Greater São Paulo (RMSP) of the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST) to contribute with the following general objective: to enable processes of production and commercialization of agroecological food in the RMSP. It is proposed to foment the field-city approach between the sustainable development project (PDS) São Luiz (located in the in the peri-urban zone of the municipality of Cajamar and the Responsible Consumption of the Union of Architects of the State of São Paulo (GCR), in order to contribute to the food security of the population and to promote the development of sustainable rural territorial cohesion. The Project aims to consolidate a chain of agroecological marketing that produces food without harming nature and, at the same time, allowing them to arrive in the city at an affordable price to the population. The main objective of the project is closed related to Goal 2, targets 2.1, 2.3 and 2.b as is associated to ensure food access to people in a vulnerable situation. 3 specific objectives are proposed, to be achieved directly with the project: (1) promote the autonomy of PDS producers São Luiz through its organization and the strengthening of agroecological production processes; (2) sensitize GCR consumers on the importance of agroecology and economy and (3) strengthen responsible consumer habits of the GCR.

Partners

Financial Partners: Fundo Social CASA with an approved budget of R$29980,00.

Implementation of the Project/Activity

The Agroecological City project started in May 2018, when a Responsible Consumption Group at the São Paulo State Architects' Union, local of Engineers Without Borders Chapter São Paulo (ESF-SP) meetings. In August 2018, the project was approved with a call for financing of the Fund Socio-environmental CASA, with a 12-month realization horizon. From this scenario, it was possible to incorporate into the project actions to implement social sanitation technologies and agroecology to structure the settlement of São Luiz PDS, such as catchment systems of rainwater and collective water supply for irrigation, inputs for agroforestry systems and etc. The project foresees the realization of 7 main activities, with responsibilities divided among the settlers, the coordination of the PDS São Luiz and the volunteers of the ESF-SP. At activities 1.1 to 1.3 relate to the objective of promoting the autonomy of producers: Strategic planning carried out by the coordination of PDS São Luiz through telephone calls to the workers to raise available food; by the ESF-SP volunteers through the preparation of a food application form and dissemination in the GCR; by the coordination of PDS São Luiz together with the volunteers of the ESF-SP by transporting food from the settlement to the GCR and organization of each consumer's identified food by name; Development of social sanitation technologies and systems agroforestry for the structuring of the settlement: carried out in partnership between the PDS São Luiz and the ESF-SP, through the design of rainwater harvesting systems, irrigation and agroforestry systems in the settlements/ activities 2.1 and 2.2 relate to the objective of sensitizing consumers and activities: Elaboration of informative materials on agroecology and solidarity economy: carried out by ESF-SP volunteers through the creation of leaflets delivered with the containing texts on the concepts addressed in the project and recipes for prepare the food; Carrying out conversation wheels with consumers and members of the MST: held in partnership between the São Luiz PDS and the ESF-SP, through the organization and dissemination of events that aim at a greater connection between the members of the collective and the consumers./ 3.1 and 3.2: SASP GCR communication channel development for maintenance of signatures: carried out by ESF-SP volunteers through the creation of lists of and whatsapp groups, as well as email lists for opening of orders; Development of a marketing tool for baskets in different acquisition models: conducted by ESF-SP through the creation and improvement of order forms, as well as a website for automated demands and payments.

Results/Outputs/Impacts

The SASP GCR experience has, as of 28/08/2018, resulted in a total of R$ 3,801.00 collected in the sale of baskets, with a maximum of R$ 650.50 in single delivery and average of R$ 475.13 per delivery. In commercialization, we adopt a model of signatures and quarterly payments for the sale of complete food baskets (containing 2 packets/salad, 2 bundles/feet of vegetables, 2 bundles of seasonings, 2 servings of 0.8 kg of fruits and 10.8 kg of vegetables/roots). In addition, it was created from research with the sale of individual fruit baskets (containing 7 kg of 4 many different). The prices are 70 reais for baskets in monthly mode (with 2 deliveries), 195 reais for quarterly baskets (with 6 deliveries) and 26 reais for fruit baskets in single mode. In addition to contributing to the management of food production and marketing, volunteers of the ESF-BR program also collaborated, through a partnership with the project Permacultural Agenda, in the construction of treatment ecological sewer of the settlement.

Sustainability and replicability

Starting from a better structuring of the processes, it is possible and desirable to expand the experience with the SASP GCR and the São Luiz PDS to other groups of responsible consumption organized by the MST Regional Greater São Paulo, as well as creating new points of the organization of groups and deliveries individuals. Likewise, it is possible to replicate social technologies and processes developed in partnership with PDS São Luiz with others are part of the Regional SP (Sister Alberta and Dom Thomás Balduíno). Finally, it is important to point out that the project has a direct dialogue with the project Permacultural Agenda, as previously reported. The agenda allows the organization of joint efforts of people interested in contributing human resources to the implementation of social technologies that make possible the structuring of the mentioned settlements, presenting itself as an alternative to the continuity of actions in partnership between the ESF-SP and the Regional Greater São Paulo of the MST.

Conclusions

In addition to acting in the fields of production and marketing/distribution, also contribute to the cultural sphere of consumers. In general, in cities, the population is alienated from the food it consumes, transformed into merchandise: one does not know where it came from, one does not know how it was produced, it is only known that he is there in the supermarket gondola ready to be consumed. Already with the Responsible Consumption practices, the aim is to politicize consumers and to enable them to understand where food comes from and what positive impacts its consumption habit is being able to generate: greater social justice in the countryside by supporting settled land reform; the legitimacy of the importance of social movements in the face of a criminalization of these; contribute to the consolidation of a mode of food production which does not attack nature; among others. It is noted that consumer awareness to transform their consumption practices is great importance for the viability of this way of commercialization, which, in turn, is illustrates the need for organized civil society to play we want healthier foods that do not harm the environment, we need to organize and demand this from our rulers and do not let the ruralism counterparts do as well understand, as represented by PL 6229/2002 that is processed at the congress, and that, in general terms, favors that more agrochemicals be used in the field. For this reason, the ESF-SP believes that it is of great importance to build this project in partnership with the Landless Rural Workers Movement, which agroecology as a mode of production to guarantee the food sovereignty of our population. Thus, we wish, besides acting in this project of incubation of this solidarity economy, maintaining our relationship with the settlements and contribute to infrastructure projects, such as ecological sanitation efforts here. to contribute our technical knowledge to some of the challenges faced by these families and, with Popular Engineering.

SDGS & Targets