Esse estudo pretende compreender as múltiplas formas de construção do conhecimento agroecológico (CCA), através da observação da interface entre Grupos de Agroecologia (GAs) e agricultores de base ecológica. A Agroecologia é entendida, neste trabalho, em suas dimensões práticas, teóricas e políticas – e, para, além disso, enquanto um campo estudado e vivido por uma miríade heterogênea de atores. Os GAs, por sua vez, são coletivos que se organizam para estudar, praticar e difundir a Agroecologia (muitas vezes, grupos de extensão universitária). Para este estudo, focou-se em GAs atuantes em Universidades Públicas do Rio de Janeiro/RJ; e, consequentemente, em agricultores que com estes interagissem. Partiu-se da Perspectiva Orientada ao Ator como base teórico-metodológica, buscando nela elementos que subsidiassem uma análise da construção do conhecimento que emana da confrontação, do compartilhamento e da negociação entre os diversos atores sociais e seus mundos de vida. Esta análise permitiu observar a centralidade dada às premissas da ciência moderna na produção/construção do conhecimento. Desta forma, problematizou-se, buscando propostas como a ecologia dos saberes, a hierarquia (aqui considerada artificial) estabelecida entre os saberes especializados ou científicos e os saberes práticos ou populares. Pôs-se em questão o papel da Universidade neste contexto, sobretudo no que tange às formas de desenvolvimento rural que preconiza e, portanto, ao espaço que dá as perspectivas agroecológicas em suas atividades de ensino, pesquisa e extensão. Conclui-se que, embora de forma ainda discreta e, por vezes, informal, a agência dos atores sociais (aqui notadamente os GAs e os agricultores) colabora para a superação do abismo criado entre demandas sociais e Universidade, fomentando o debate agroecológico e a valorização dos saberes dos agricultores. A análise das situações de interfaces entre os diversos atores (inclui-se aqui a complexidade de atores que envolve a Universidade) permitiu compreender que a CCA acontece em meio a disputas e visões diferenciadas acerca do desenvolvimento rural. Por outro lado, as interações entre estudantes e agricultores demonstram-se profícuas ao desenvolvimento de processos de aprendizagem diferenciados, fortalecendo a Agroecologia e propondo formas alternativas de construção do conhecimento dentro e fora dos muros da Universidade. / This study aims to understand the multiple ways of agroecological knowledge construction, by observing the interface between Agroecology Groups and ecological farmers. In this research, Agroecology is understood in its practical, theoretical and political dimensions - and, moreover, as a field studied and lived by a myriad of heterogeneous actors. The Agroecology Groups are groups that organize themselves to study, practice and propagate Agroecology (often groups of university extension). This study focuses on Agroecology Groups whose activities happen in Public Universities of Rio de Janeiro/RJ; and thus ecological farmers that interact with them. The research is grounded in the Actor Oriented Perspective as its theoretical and methodological basis. That perspective brings elements that give support for an analysis of the construction of knowledge that emanates from confrontation, sharing and negotiation between the various social actors and their life worlds. This analysis allowed us to observe the centrality given to the assumptions of modern science in the production/construction of knowledge. Thus, we seek to problematize the hierarchy (here considered artificial) established between specialized or scientific knowledge and practical or popular knowledge – exploring proposals such as the ecology of knowledges. In this context, the role of University is brought into question, especially in relation to the rural development’s patterns that it helps creating – therefore examining the space giving to agroecological perspectives. We conclude that, although in still germinal and sometimes informal ways, the agency of social actors (notably GAs and farmers) helps to overcome the gap created between social demands and the University by fostering the debate around agroecology and the recovery of farmers’ knowledge. The analysis of the interface situations between the different actors (this includes the complexity of actors involving University) allows us to understand that the agroecological knowledge construction happens in a context of disputation and differentiated views on rural development. Moreover, the interactions between students and farmers showed up fruitful to the development of differentiated learning processes, strengthening agroecological principles and proposing alternative ways of knowledge constructing inside and outside the gates of the University.

Esse estudo pretende compreender as múltiplas formas de construção do conhecimento agroecológico (CCA), através da observação da interface entre Grupos de Agroecologia (GAs) e agricultores de base ecológica. A Agroecologia é entendida, neste trabalho, em suas dimensões práticas, teóricas e políticas – e, para, além disso, enquanto um campo estudado e vivido por uma miríade heterogênea de atores. Os GAs, por sua vez, são coletivos que se organizam para estudar, praticar e difundir a Agroecologia (muitas vezes, grupos de extensão universitária). Para este estudo, focou-se em GAs atuantes em Universidades Públicas do Rio de Janeiro/RJ; e, consequentemente, em agricultores que com estes interagissem. Partiu-se da Perspectiva Orientada ao Ator como base teórico-metodológica, buscando nela elementos que subsidiassem uma análise da construção do conhecimento que emana da confrontação, do compartilhamento e da negociação entre os diversos atores sociais e seus mundos de vida. Esta análise permitiu observar a centralidade dada às premissas da ciência moderna na produção/construção do conhecimento. Desta forma, problematizou-se, buscando propostas como a ecologia dos saberes, a hierarquia (aqui considerada artificial) estabelecida entre os saberes especializados ou científicos e os saberes práticos ou populares. Pôs-se em questão o papel da Universidade neste contexto, sobretudo no que tange às formas de desenvolvimento rural que preconiza e, portanto, ao espaço que dá as perspectivas agroecológicas em suas atividades de ensino, pesquisa e extensão. Conclui-se que, embora de forma ainda discreta e, por vezes, informal, a agência dos atores sociais (aqui notadamente os GAs e os agricultores) colabora para a superação do abismo criado entre demandas sociais e Universidade, fomentando o debate agroecológico e a valorização dos saberes dos agricultores. A análise das situações de interfaces entre os diversos atores (inclui-se aqui a complexidade de atores que envolve a Universidade) permitiu compreender que a CCA acontece em meio a disputas e visões diferenciadas acerca do desenvolvimento rural. Por outro lado, as interações entre estudantes e agricultores demonstram-se profícuas ao desenvolvimento de processos de aprendizagem diferenciados, fortalecendo a Agroecologia e propondo formas alternativas de construção do conhecimento dentro e fora dos muros da Universidade. / This study aims to understand the multiple ways of agroecological knowledge construction, by observing the interface between Agroecology Groups and ecological farmers. In this research, Agroecology is understood in its practical, theoretical and political dimensions - and, moreover, as a field studied and lived by a myriad of heterogeneous actors. The Agroecology Groups are groups that organize themselves to study, practice and propagate Agroecology (often groups of university extension). This study focuses on Agroecology Groups whose activities happen in Public Universities of Rio de Janeiro/RJ; and thus ecological farmers that interact with them. The research is grounded in the Actor Oriented Perspective as its theoretical and methodological basis. That perspective brings elements that give support for an analysis of the construction of knowledge that emanates from confrontation, sharing and negotiation between the various social actors and their life worlds. This analysis allowed us to observe the centrality given to the assumptions of modern science in the production/construction of knowledge. Thus, we seek to problematize the hierarchy (here considered artificial) established between specialized or scientific knowledge and practical or popular knowledge – exploring proposals such as the ecology of knowledges. In this context, the role of University is brought into question, especially in relation to the rural development’s patterns that it helps creating – therefore examining the space giving to agroecological perspectives. We conclude that, although in still germinal and sometimes informal ways, the agency of social actors (notably GAs and farmers) helps to overcome the gap created between social demands and the University by fostering the debate around agroecology and the recovery of farmers’ knowledge. The analysis of the interface situations between the different actors (this includes the complexity of actors involving University) allows us to understand that the agroecological knowledge construction happens in a context of disputation and differentiated views on rural development. Moreover, the interactions between students and farmers showed up fruitful to the development of differentiated learning processes, strengthening agroecological principles and proposing alternative ways of knowledge constructing inside and outside the gates of the University.

The transnational network La Vía Campesina (LVC) coined the term ‘food sovereignty’, which has been appropriated by many actors seeking alternatives to the neoliberal food regime. Traspatio Oaxaqueño (TO) is a small initiative seeking to revitalize backyard agriculture and the role of women in local food systems. While TO leaders do not explicitly claim to be pursuing food sovereignty, the initiative promotes some of its key principles: (1) the empowerment of women from economically vulnerable families, by increasing their access to productive resources; (2) the preservation of the right to healthy and culturally appropriate food; and (3) the use of ecologically, socially and economically sustainable methods. Despite the fact that the initiative does not deeply challenge the neoliberal food regime, it contributes to the collective organizing and politicization of marginalized actors, allowing them to gain greater autonomy and to eventually reclaim control over food systems.

A regulação pública da agricultura orgânica no Brasil instituiu três formas de avaliar a qualidade orgânica, inserindo os Sistemas Participativos de Garantia (SPGs) no mesmo patamar que a certificação por auditoria. Todavia, este processo não foi isento de conflitos e, justamente por isso, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi compreender porque o Estado brasileiro reconhece esse formato de avaliação da qualidade orgânica que prescinde de uma terceira parte isenta, como as certificadoras por auditoria, se a literatura econômica clássica aponta para essa necessidade. A hipótese defendida e corroborada é que o Estado reconhece os SPGs no mesmo patamar que a certificação por auditoria porque a rede de gestores públicos e sociedade civil, articulada ao redor deste tema, conseguiu convencer seus interlocutores de que os mecanismos participativos de avaliação da conformidade (visitas de pares, visitas de verificação, reuniões) são capazes de atestar a qualidade orgânica dos produtos. Os argumentos que esta rede utiliza para persuadir suas audiências são de duas naturezas: por um lado, o alto custo da certificação por auditoria, causada pela obrigação de seguir os padrões da ISO 65, exclui parcela significativa dos agricultores familiares. Por outro, demonstram que existem outras formas de atestar a qualidade dos produtos, historicamente conhecidas, que reduzem as assimetrias de informação entre produtor e consumidor, em especial aquelas que se fundamentam prioritariamente no controle social. A metodologia utilizada foi a observação participante em fóruns paritários entre governo e sociedade civil, em encontros do Fórum Brasileiro de SPGs e em visitas, reuniões e mutirões nas propriedades de agricultores membros de redes dos cinco primeiros SPGs cadastrados no MAPA: ANC, ABD, Rede Ecovida, ABIO e Orgânicos Sul de Minas, além de entrevistas semi-estruturadas com gestores públicos e membros da sociedade civil que participaram do processo de construção da normativa. As conclusões indicam que a participação em redes de SPGs tende a fortalecer processos sociais complexos que vão além da certificação, como a construção e ampliação de mercados solidários, a criação de estratégias comunitárias de uso de material genético, como bancos e feiras de trocas de sementes e mudas, o aumento do acesso a alimentos por conta das trocas de espécies realizadas entre os agricultores e a redução de custos de produção, quando da contratação coletiva de técnicos ou pelo uso das visitas como instrumento de assistência técnica rural. No entanto, verifica-se que a tentativa do Estado em expandir esse sistema para mercados internacionais gera necessidade de controles mais rígidos por conta do distanciamento entre produtor e consumidor, o que burocratiza e aproxima os SPGs da certificação por auditoria. Por outro lado, o fortalecimento das redes de SPGs pode viabilizar o alcance das políticas públicas no meio rural, como por exemplo, os programas de aquisição de alimentos PAA e PNAE, entre outros. Importante registrar a abertura que este tema tem para novas pesquisas e abordagens, avaliando a sua sustentabilidade no tempo e no espaço e a sua capacidade de ampliação da qualidade da vida no campo. / Public regulation of organic agriculture in Brazil instituted three ways to evaluate the organic quality, inserting the Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) at the same level as certification by audit. However, this process was not without conflict, and so on, the objective of this research was to understand why the state recognizes this format of the organic quality assessment that dismisses an exempt third party, such as certification by audit, whether the classical economic literature points to that need. The hypothesis defended and supported is that the state recognizes the PGS at the same level as certification for audit because the network of public officials and civil society, articulated around this theme, managed to convince their interlocutors that the participatory mechanisms of conformity assessment (peer visits, verification visits, meetings) are able to attest the quality of organic products. The arguments that the network uses to persuade your audience are of two kinds: first, the high cost of certification by audit, caused by the obligation to follow the ISO 65 standards, excludes significant portion of family farmers. On the other, it shows that there are other ways to certify the quality of products, historically known that reduce information asymmetries between producer and consumer, especially those that are primarily grounded in social control. The methodology used was participant observation in forums parity between government and civil society, at the Brazilian Forum of PGS meetings and visits, meetings and task forces on the properties of the farmer members of networks of the first five registered PGS in Ministry of Agriculture: ANC, ABD, Network Ecovida, ABIO and Organics Sul de Minas, and semi-structured interviews with public officials and members of civil society who participated in the normative construction process. The findings indicate that participation in PGS networks tends to strengthen complex social processes that go beyond the certification, such as the construction and expansion of supportive markets, the creation of community strategies of genetic material use, as banks and seed swap meets and seedlings, increasing access to food due to the trading of species carried out between farmers and the reduction of production costs, when the collective bargaining technicians or the use of visits as rural technical assistance instrument. However, it appears that the attempt by the State to expand this system to international markets generates the need for tighter controls because of the gap between producer and consumer, which bureaucratizes and near the certification audit by PGS. On the other hand, the strengthening of PGS networks can enable the achievement of public policies in rural areas, such as food purchase programs - PAA and PNAE, among others. Important to note the opening of this technique for new research and approaches, assessing their sustainability over time and space and its quality capacity expansion of rural life.

A pesquisa apresentada nesta tese tem como objetivo realizar uma análise e reflexão sobre as estratégias metodológicas da agroecologia, com o intuito de compreender a forma pela qual lógicas econômicas não capitalistas (camponesa, quilombola e/ou indígena) têm participado e/ou poderiam participar do processo de construção- concepção e execução- deste campo do conhecimento. Numa busca por caminhos que indicassem as formas de equalizar as relações de poder inerentes ao diálogo de saberes e fazeres previsto na teoria agroecológica, optou-se por analisar a comunidade quilombola do bairro Ribeirão Grande -localizada no Vale do Ribeira, Barra do Turvo/SP - e suas experiências de produção agroflorestal e envolvimento com uma associação/cooperativa agroflorestal reconhecida nacional e internacionalmente, a Cooperafloresta. O recorte analítico neste território, portanto, compreende a investigação tanto sobre a comunidade quilombola, quanto sobre as estratégias metodológicas da Cooperafloresta. No decorrer da pesquisa identificou-se a existência de uma tensão entre o saber-fazer quilombola e o saber-fazer agroflorestal. Para compreender o processo de formação deste conflito e analisar as formas de relação estabelecidas no âmbito das experiências agroecológicas, realizou-se: uma análise biográfica da liderança quilombola Nilce de Pontes Pereira do Santos; um histórico e caracterização da comunidade do Ribeirão Grande desde o seu interior; e uma discussão sobre a forma pela qual a Cooperafloresta se constituiu naquele território. A intersecção entre estas três perspectivas de análise nos permitiu estabelecer cinco constatações, que se orientaram, de forma geral, para a identificação da contribuição da geografia à agroecologia . A conclusão desta pesquisa indicou a pertinência da orientação do método agroecológico à apreensão da totalidade da identidade local e da agroecologia enquanto contribuição ao movimento de comunidades rurais não capitalistas. / The research presented in this thesis aims to perform an analysis and reflect on the methodological strategies of agroecology, in order to understand the way in which non­ capitalist economic logic (peasant, Maroon and/or indigenous) have been and/or could be involved in the process - design and execution - of building this field of knowledge. Looking for paths that could indicate means to equalize the power relations inherent in the dialogue of knowledge and practices set out in agroecological theory, we chose to analyze the quilombo community of Ribeirão Grande neighborhood - located in the Vale do Ribeira, Barra do Turvo/SP- and their experience with agroforestry production and involvement with an agroforestry association/cooperative nationally and internationally recognized, Cooperafloresta. The analytical approach in this area therefore includes research on both the quilombo and the methodological strategies of Cooperafloresta. The existence of a tension between the quilombo and the agroforestry know-hows could be identified during the study. Research took place in order to understand the process of formation of this conflict and analyze the forms of relationship established under the agroecological experiences: a biographical analysis of quilombo leader Nilce de Pontes Pereira do Santos; a past history and characterization of Ribeirão Grande community from the inside; and a discussion about how Cooperafloresta has been constituted on that territory. The intersection of these three perspectives of analysis allowed us to establish tive findings, which guided, in general, to identifying the contribution of geography to agroecology. The conclusion of this research indicated the relevance of the guidance of agroecological method to the seizure of all the local identity and of agroecology as a contribution to the movement of rural non-capitalist communities.

In the industrialized world, sustainable agriculture has remained a fringe agricultural experiment, unable to provide a large-scale alternative model. Cuba provides a case study of a massive agricultural shift to sustainable farming brought about by economic crisis. In 2009, 31 farmers and 6 key informants from 4 provinces in Cuba were interviewed and 12 women participated in a participant driven photography project about their involvement in small-scale agroecological farming. The research found that the inability to purchase imported chemicals and fertilizers has encouraged farmers to innovate their own solutions to maintaining soil, plant, animal and ecosystem health. Institutional support through academic institutions and non-government organizations is facilitating the spread of agroecological education through farmer-to-farmer exchanges. Economically, farming as a profession provides a fair income; although, farmers’ wealth was tied to other industries in their respective regions, and influenced by tourism. The need for housing and land tenure are large barriers, but the government’s opening up of land for farming in usufruct has been a successful strategy for encouraging new farmers. Allowing for subsistence growing, has been historically and is currently an important incentive. Cooperatives allow for the distribution of scarce inputs, provide educational and social opportunities for farmers and can provide retirement benefits, administrative and legal help. However, women tend to participate less in cooperatives, and traditional household roles and machismo are still an undercurrent in the Cuban countryside. Cuba’s agricultural story is rich in lessons that can be applied globally, learned from its requirement to respond quickly to change during economic crisis. These lessons are simple; productivity and happiness increase with worker autonomy, support from government and institutions works better when it is participatory, and social groups whether cooperatives, family or neighbourhoods, provide an essential human support system. / Graduate / 0366 / 0453 / 0473 / 0733 / lisawillott@gmail.com

Archaeological investigations of the largest urban centers in southern Mesopotamia have excluded collection and detailed interpretation of faunal remains. This exclusion has resulted in a biased interpretation of urban dynamics based largely on architecture, site planning, artifact distribution, and textual evidence. The samples that do exist from these sites are often incomplete. Additionally, textual evidence pertaining to animal exploitation is essentially silent when it comes to pig husbandry and offers little information on the exploitation of fish and other wild resources. While addressing these biases with the analysis of faunal material from the late second millennium (BCE) urban site of Mashkan-shapir, this study also aims to shed light on the complex interplay between urban life and the natural diversity of the southern Mesopotamian wetlands. The site is presented as a model for heterarchical sociopolitical organization and sustainable agroecological approach to subsistence. A fundamental link is made between sustainability and heterarchical organization and consensus. Results of the analysis of over 7000 specimens from excavation, as well as nearly 2900 specimens from systematic flotation, indicate that wetland resources were an integral part of the site economy. The data suggest pigs were a major dietary component, and suggest low intensity cultivation of free roaming "street pigs" as the likely pig rearing strategy. Ovicaprid remains indicate a strong bias towards sheep with the primary goal of wool production. The study attempts to describe and quantify the role of wetlands as a sustainable resource adding to the vitality and success of Mashkan-shapir. The data suggest an urban setting intimately linked to wetland ecosystems. This model of wetland exploitation is compared to both ancient and modern data including modern models of mixed species sustainable agroecosystems to illustrate the efficiency and sustainability of the proposed Mashkan-shapir model. The data from Mashkan-shapir suggest that a heretofore unexamined or hidden portion of the economy based on fishing, hunting, household level pig husbandry, and wetland resource exploitation, played a crucial role in the lives of Mesopotamian urbanites.

Indigenous agroforestry systems, or the intentional use of trees and livestock in croplands, have a long history in the West African Sahel. In many locations, they have long contributed to food security and climate change resilience. But a century or more of cash cropping and use of modern agricultural inputs and tools has meant that no such agroforestry systems remain intact, and many are extinct, including in west-central Senegal, where the Serer historic mixed farming and pastoral strategies previously provided resilience to cyclical droughts and colonial-era agricultural and economic change but are now neither intact nor extinct. This study examines the current state of Serer agroecosystems, considering who uses what elements of the old systems, who has introduced what elements of nonindigenous farming systems, and whether this combination of local and imported farming systems is a coherent and sustainable fusion, or an incoherent pastiche leading toward agrarian collapse. I argue that, depending on how farmers integrate new models with the technical and cultural elements of the old system, a coherent fusion may result, with positive implications for sustainability, climate change adaptation, soil replenishment, crop yield, and livelihood resilience. This mixed-methods study draws upon literature from cultural ecology, agroecology, socioecological resilience, and history to interpret farmers’ accounts of changing agrarian practices. The study links ethnographic findings to empirical analysis of soil conditions and land use change. With these tools, my research sheds new light on the evolving role of local techniques and knowledge in the struggle to maintain agricultural productivity, as Sahelian communities confront soil fertility depletion, food insecurity, and climate change. The study finds that farming communities in this region can strengthen their livelihood resilience and enhance crop yields if they update elements of the well-adapted historic farming system, employ new techniques and tools, and in the process, forge coherent farming systems that still make cultural sense to farmers. / 10000-01-01

CAMURÇA, Andréa Machado. Mulheres e agroecologia: possibilidades para sustentabilidade local da Comunidade Bom Jesus, Assentamento Maceió, Itapipoca-Ce. 2013. 136 f. : Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Ceará, Pró-Reitoria de Pós-Graduação , Pós-Graduação em Desenvolvimento e Meio Ambiente, Fortaleza-CE, 2013. / Submitted by demia Maia (demiamlm@gmail.com) on 2016-08-12T14:23:25Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2013_dis_amcamurça.pdf: 3774847 bytes, checksum: da8d7a6b51a0b00157cd4a5314b56437 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by demia Maia (demiamlm@gmail.com) on 2016-08-12T14:24:24Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2013_dis_amcamurça.pdf: 3774847 bytes, checksum: da8d7a6b51a0b00157cd4a5314b56437 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-12T14:24:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2013_dis_amcamurça.pdf: 3774847 bytes, checksum: da8d7a6b51a0b00157cd4a5314b56437 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / New perspectives in relation to the rural and agriculture has gained prominence in the face of crises (energy, food, environmental, economic and others) caused by the expansion of the logic of capital. So agricultures styles based on principles of agroecology gain visibility to seek the preservation of biodiversity, enhancement of more horizontal relations between "human-nature" and between them, ensuring the sovereignty and food security and local sustainability. Therefore, this study aims to understand the action of women in the management of activities in the backyards of the Community Bom Jesus, Maceio rural settlement, Itapipoca-CE. We used method with a critical feminist approach in conjunction with the peasantry elements. Methods, we chose to case study associated with participant observation techniques and interviews. The instruments were field diary, semi-structured script, camera and recorder. The results indicate that women in the practice of peasant agriculture developed in the yards has been mainly responsible for the preservation of biodiversity, management and varied techniques, crops associated with small livestock, the extraction and processing of food for family consumption and for playback. Backyards practiced since the dawn of agriculture constitute one way and know-how of women in agriculture that are indicating elements (ecological, social, economic and cultural) important to agroecology, such as biodiversity conservation, multiple handlings food production without pesticides and without fertilizers. The actual dialogue of women with the principles of agroecology, experienced in the yard, are improvers of new meanings to society. / Novas perspectivas em relação ao mundo rural e à agricultura tem ganhado destaque diante das crises (energética, alimentar, ambiental, econômica e entre outras) provocadas pela expansão da lógica do capital. Assim, estilos de agriculturas fundamentados em princípios da agroecologia ganham visibilidade por buscar a preservação da biodiversidade, a valorização de relações mais horizontais entre “humanos-natureza” e entre estes, a garantia da soberania e segurança alimentar e a sustentabilidade local. Portanto, este estudo objetiva compreender a ação das mulheres no contexto da gestão das atividades realizadas nos quintais da Comunidade Bom Jesus, Assentamento Maceió, Itapipoca-CE. Utilizou-se com método uma abordagem crítica feminista em articulação com elementos do campesinato. Dos métodos, optou-se por estudo de caso associado a técnicas de observação participante e entrevistas. Os instrumentos utilizados foram diário de campo, roteiro semi-estruturado, câmera fotográfica e gravador. Os resultados indicam que as mulheres na prática de agricultura camponesa desenvolvida nos quintais tem sido as principais responsáveis pela preservação da biodiversidade, manejo e técnicas variadas, de cultivos associados à criação de pequenos animais, ao extrativismo e à transformação de alimentos para consumo da família e para sua reprodução. Os quintais praticados desde o surgimento da agricultura constituem-se de um modo e de um saber-fazer das mulheres na agricultura que estão a indicar elementos (ecológico, social, econômico e cultural) importantes à agroecológica, como a preservação da biodiversidade, manejos múltiplos, produção de alimentos sem uso de agrotóxicos e sem fertilizantes químicos. O diálogo real das mulheres com os princípios da Agroecologia, experimentados no quintal, são potencializadores de novos significados para a sociedade.

Aquaponics has recently emerged on the global scene as a viable form of alternative agriculture. A combination of practices, such as growing and harvesting fish (aquaculture) along with "hydroponically" grown fruits and vegetables, aquaponics integrates traditional agriculture practices with twenty-first century scientific food producing methods. In this thesis, I analyze the literature on aquaponics and connect it firmly within the current social and environmental discussions of the food security discourse among Pacific Island Countries and Territories in order to provide a context of geographical relevance of fish and vegetable producing systems. I also provide data from the Northern Mariana Island of Rota to showcase why and how aquaponics may be a viable option for improving food security within such a context. I then argue that the aquaponic project on the island of Rota helps serve as one potential pathway to improving food security. / 2015-07-14