Agriculture contributes significantly to national and global greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories but there is considerable control over management decisions and changes in production methods could lead to a significant reduction and possible mitigation of emissions from the sector. For example, conservation tillage practices have been suggested as a method of sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), however, many questions remain unanswered regarding the short-term efficacy of the production method and knowledge gaps exist regarding possible interactions with essential nutrient cycles, and the production of non-CO2 GHGs, such as nitrous oxide (N2O). Between autumn 2005 and 2009, a micrometeorological flux system was used to determine net CO2 and N2O exchange from an annual cropping system situated on clay soil in the Red River Valley of southern Manitoba. Four plots (4-ha each) were independently evaluated and planted to corn in 2006 and faba bean in 2007; in 2008, two spring wheat plots were monitored. As well, during the non-growing season in 2006-2007 following corn harvest, a second micrometeorological flux system capable of simultaneously measuring stable C isotopologue (12CO2 and 13CO2) fluxes was operated at the site. Tillage intensity and crop management practices were examined for their influence on GHG emissions. Significant inter-annual variability in CO2 and N2O fluxes as a function of crop and related management activities was observed. Tillage intensity did not affect GHG emissions from the site. After accounting for harvest removals, the net ecosystem C budgets were 510 (source), 3140 (source) and -480 (sink) kg C/ha/year for the three respective crop years, summing to a three-year loss of 3170 kg C/ha. Stable C isotope flux measurements during the non-growing season following corn harvest indicated that approximately 70 % and 20 – 30 % of the total respiration flux originated from crop residue C during the fall of 2006 and spring of 2007, respectively. The N2O emissions at the site further exacerbated the net global warming potential of this annual agroecosystem.

Agroforestry production methods present one option for addressing growing concerns about the long term sustainability of intensive coffee production techniques. A study was designed to compare the effects of fertilization and shading from two leguminous species, Erythrina poeppigiana and Chloroleucon eurycyclum, on coffee grown at a Costa Rican research site. Coffee below biannually pruned, conventionally fertilized Erythrina exhibited the highest photosynthetic performance under both low and high light levels as well as greater biomass and higher N concentration. Soil P did not affect coffee performance, although shade trees on sites with higher soil P fixed more N compared to trees grown on low P sites, most of which were not found to be fixing. Results suggest shade mechanisms are the most important drivers of coffee adaptation in coffee agroforestry systems, though proper soil nutrient management and legume species pairing also appear to augment coffee response to microclimate conditions.

Agroforestry production methods present one option for addressing growing concerns about the long term sustainability of intensive coffee production techniques. A study was designed to compare the effects of fertilization and shading from two leguminous species, Erythrina poeppigiana and Chloroleucon eurycyclum, on coffee grown at a Costa Rican research site. Coffee below biannually pruned, conventionally fertilized Erythrina exhibited the highest photosynthetic performance under both low and high light levels as well as greater biomass and higher N concentration. Soil P did not affect coffee performance, although shade trees on sites with higher soil P fixed more N compared to trees grown on low P sites, most of which were not found to be fixing. Results suggest shade mechanisms are the most important drivers of coffee adaptation in coffee agroforestry systems, though proper soil nutrient management and legume species pairing also appear to augment coffee response to microclimate conditions.

Agriculture contributes significantly to national and global greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories but there is considerable control over management decisions and changes in production methods could lead to a significant reduction and possible mitigation of emissions from the sector. For example, conservation tillage practices have been suggested as a method of sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), however, many questions remain unanswered regarding the short-term efficacy of the production method and knowledge gaps exist regarding possible interactions with essential nutrient cycles, and the production of non-CO2 GHGs, such as nitrous oxide (N2O). Between autumn 2005 and 2009, a micrometeorological flux system was used to determine net CO2 and N2O exchange from an annual cropping system situated on clay soil in the Red River Valley of southern Manitoba. Four plots (4-ha each) were independently evaluated and planted to corn in 2006 and faba bean in 2007; in 2008, two spring wheat plots were monitored. As well, during the non-growing season in 2006-2007 following corn harvest, a second micrometeorological flux system capable of simultaneously measuring stable C isotopologue (12CO2 and 13CO2) fluxes was operated at the site. Tillage intensity and crop management practices were examined for their influence on GHG emissions. Significant inter-annual variability in CO2 and N2O fluxes as a function of crop and related management activities was observed. Tillage intensity did not affect GHG emissions from the site. After accounting for harvest removals, the net ecosystem C budgets were 510 (source), 3140 (source) and -480 (sink) kg C/ha/year for the three respective crop years, summing to a three-year loss of 3170 kg C/ha. Stable C isotope flux measurements during the non-growing season following corn harvest indicated that approximately 70 % and 20 – 30 % of the total respiration flux originated from crop residue C during the fall of 2006 and spring of 2007, respectively. The N2O emissions at the site further exacerbated the net global warming potential of this annual agroecosystem.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T13:33:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 1320711 bytes, checksum: 333da289de51b6baa51e40d0c6442816 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-08-05 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Family farming began to be focus of government policy in Brazil, but the expertise literature inform that there is a lack of suitable theories for the understanding and uncover the actual nature of the contemporary different “agrarian groups”. This lack of understanding makes difficult the lay down of suitable policies. The present work aimed to analyze the strategies of socio economic reproduction of family farming in counties of Araponga and Espera Feliz, na Zona da Mata, Minas Gerais state, identifying the possible contributions of agroecological proposals in these strategies. The survey of secondary data showed different agricultural modernization processes in each county and an adaptation of the focal group methodology allowed the identification of a differentiation of family farming. The conduction of depth interviews with the families of farmers in both counties allowed a comparison starting from the identification and characterization of their different strategies of socio economic reproduction. The main focus of analyses were: the order associated to the agricultural production process; the relationship with markets; the maintenance of practices and rules related to reciprocity; the standards of inheritance and the presence of pluriactivity. Based on the interviewed families, it is possible to affirm that in those counties there is a family farming characterized as peasant, in which thesearch for autonomy and the maintenance of reciprocity practices can be spotted as one of the most important characteristics. It is also possible to affirm that the peasant production way is allowing families to find room for manoeuvre in the present context of treats and dispossession, developing effective strategies of social and economic reproduction. It is possible to affirm the contribution from agroecology in the socio economic reproduction of this family farming, as it fits the strategies of the peasant resistance. / A Agricultura Familiar passou a ser objeto de Políticas Públicas no Brasil, mas a literatura especializada informa que faltam teorias adequadas para compreender e desvendar a natureza dos distintos “grupos agrários” contemporâneos, e esta falta de entendimento dificulta a formulação de políticas adequadas. Este trabalho de pesquisa objetivou analisar as estratégias de reprodução sócio-econômica da agricultura familiar nos municípios de Araponga e Espera Feliz, na Zona da Mata de MG, identificando possíveis contribuições das propostas agroecológicas nestas estratégias. Com o levantamento de dados secundários foi caracterizado um processo diferenciado de modernização da agricultura em cada município e o uso adaptado da metodologia de grupos focais permitiu identificar uma diferenciação da agricultura familiar. A realização de entrevistas em profundidade com famílias de agricultores nos dois municípios possibilitou uma comparação a partir da identificação e caracterização de diferentes estratégias de reprodução socioeconômica. Os focos principais de atenção na análise foram: o ordenamento associado ao processo de produção agrícola; as relações estabelecidas com os mercados; a permanência de práticas e regras relacionadas à reciprocidade; os padrões de herança; e a ocorrência da pluriatividade. Tomando por base as famílias entrevistadas, podemos afirmar que existe nestes municípios uma agricultura familiar que pode ser caracterizada como camponesa, onde a busca pela autonomia e a manutenção de práticas de reciprocidade podem ser identificadas como algumas das características mais marcantes. Pode-se também afirmar que o modo de produção camponês tem permitido que as famílias encontrem margens de manobra no contexto atual de ameaças e privações, desenvolvendo estratégias efetivas de reprodução social e econômica. Foi também possível afirmar a contribuição da agroecologia na reprodução socioeconômica dessa agricultura familiar, na medida em que estão ajustadas às estratégias de resistência camponesa.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T13:33:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 1141489 bytes, checksum: 7aceda0eb6d01045abcf975eea205728 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-25 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Through documentary analysis, examined institutional and academics documents which have proposed to develop indicators for sustainable agroecosystems. The main objective was to synthesize the theoretical and methodological proposals which may arise as a reference for decisions on the areas of agroecological management of natural resources. Thus presenting the multi-criteria on which the decision-making can occur. To this end, research is based on two basic aspects. The first describes the disciplinary order of the indicators, analyzing whether there is the use of interdisciplinary perspective on the construction and usage. The second, examines these tools on the aspects of internal and external. The internal order refers to the relationship between concepts and theories behind the indicators and operating procedures of knowledge production. And the external refers to political-institutional determinants that express the configuration of universities and research institutes in addition to the purpose or purposes under which the indicators are constructed. / Por meio da análise documental, analisaram-se documentos institucionais e acadêmicos que se propuseram a desenvolver indicadores de sustentabilidade para os agroecossistemas. O principal objetivo foi sintetizar as propostas teóricas e metodológicas que possam surgir como uma referência para as decisões sobre as áreas de manejo agroecológico dos recursos naturais. Apresentando assim, os critérios múltiplos sobre os quais a tomada de decisão pode ocorrer. Para tanto, a investigação está baseada em dois aspectos base. O primeiro descreve a ordem disciplinar dos indicadores, analisando se há o emprego da perspectiva interdisciplinar na construção e uso dos mesmos. O segundo analisa essas ferramentas quanto aos aspectos de ordem interna e externa. A ordem interna refere-se à relação entre conceitos e teorias que fundamentam os indicadores e os procedimentos operacionais desse conhecimento produzido. E a externa refere-se aos determinantes político-institucionais que expressam a configuração das universidades e institutos de pesquisa, além da finalidade ou os propósitos sob os quais os indicadores são construídos.

Les agroécosystèmes bananiers aux Antilles, longtemps menés en monocultures intensives, ont pris le virage d’une gestion agro-écologique depuis la mise en place du Plan Banane Durable en 2009. Pour atteindre l’objectif de diminution de l’utilisation des intrants chimiques, l’introduction de plantes de services (PdS) destinées à accomplir des services écosystémiques est à l’étude pour concilier au mieux les enjeux agronomiques et environnementaux. Parmi ces services, la régulation biologique des adventices par les PdS nécessite d’introduire des espèces ayant une bonne aptitude à la compétition pour la lumière vis-à-vis des adventices. Néanmoins la réalisation de ce service ne doit pas engendrer un dis-service vis à vis de la production agricole par les bananiers en provoquant une compétition pour les ressources minérales et hydriques du sol. Une bonne connaissance des processus de compétition aérienne et souterraine mis en place par les PdS est alors indispensable pour raisonner leur utilisation dans le système de culture. Nous avons choisi une approche par traits fonctionnels pour caractériser les espèces de cet agrosystème très anthropisé car l’étude exhaustive de processus écophysiologiques n’est pas adaptée pour le grand panel de plantes de services potentiellement utilisables. Nous faisons l’hypothèse qu’une combinaison de valeur de traits fonctionnels liés à l’acquisition et l’utilisation des ressources du milieu reflète une stratégie de compétition. Les objectifs de cette thèse sont de 1) caractériser un panel d’espèces de PdS potentielles et d’adventices ainsi que deux cultivars de bananiers selon des traits fonctionnels liés à l’acquisition et l’utilisation des ressources aériennes et souterraines, 2) identifier des stratégies de compétition sur la base des combinaisons de valeur de traits obtenus pour chaque espèce et 3) comparer les effets compétitifs des espèces en fonction de leur stratégie de compétition. Cette étude repose sur un travail bibliographique pour identifier les traits d’intérêts, une première expérimentation au champ pour caractériser la stratégie de compétition des différentes espèces par la mesure de traits fonctionnels sur des plantes isolées et en situation de ressources non limitantes et sur une deuxième expérimentation au champ pour caractériser les relations de compétition entre espèces en fonction de leur stratégie respective. L’analyse des résultats a permis de construire deux classifications des espèces en fonction de leur stratégie, l’une basée sur les traits de compétition pour la lumière et l’autre basée sur les traits de compétition pour les ressources du sol. Nos résultats ont permis de distinguer 4 stratégies de compétition aérienne pour la lumière (« ombrage », « obstruction », « étouffement faible », étouffement fort») et 4 stratégies de compétition souterraine pour les ressources du sol (« exploration », « occupation », « exploitation », « neutre »). Les espèces du panel ont été replacées sur les grands axes de différenciation d’espèces de l’écologie opposant des stratégies de conservation et de capture des ressources. Les résultats ne mettent pas en évidence de liens entre stratégies aériennes et souterraines. Ces classifications fonctionnelles peuvent être utilisées pour identifier les espèces les plus adaptées, a priori, au contrôle des adventices dans le système de culture bananier aux Antilles. L’utilisation de traits fonctionnels dans un contexte agronomique a permis d’acquérir une meilleure connaissance des aptitudes des espèces à la compétition et ouvre des perspectives quant à la création d’un outil d’aide au choix des espèces composant des couverts multi-espèces. / Banana agro-ecosystems in the French West Indies have relied for a long time on intensive monocultures. A shift to agroecological management practices have been made since the “Plan Banane Durable” program in 2009. To achieve the aim of reducing the use of chemical inputs, the introduction of cover plants to deliver agroecosystem services under study to reconcile agronomic and environmental issues. These services include the biological control of weeds by cover plants which requires to introduce cover plant species with a good ability to compete for light towards weeds. However the introduction of cover plants should not cause a dis-service by reducing the production of bananas through a competition for mineral and water soil resources. A better knowledge of aboveground and belowground competition process by cover plants is then essential to reason their use in cropping systems. We chose an approach based on functional traits to characterize plant species from this very anthropized agroecosystem because an exhaustive study of the ecophysiological processes underlying competition is not suitable for a large panel of potentially useful cover plant species. We assume that a combination of values of functional traits related to the acquisition and use of resources reflects a strategy of competition. The objectives of this thesis were 1) to characterize a panel of potential cover plant and weed species as well as two banana cultivars according to functional traits related to the acquisition and use of aboveground and belowground resources, 2) identify competition strategies on the basis of the combinations of trait values obtained for each species and 3) comparing the competitive effects of the species as a function of their competition strategies. This study is based on a bibliographic work to identify traits of interest, a first field experiment to characterize the competition strategy of the different species by measuring functional traits on plants grown individually and in non-limiting resources conditions and a second field experiment to characterize the competitive relationships between species according to their respective competitive strategies. The analysis of the results allowed us to build two classifications of species according to their strategy, one based on competitive traits for light and the other one based on the competitive traits for soil resources. Our results allowed to distinguish four aboveground competition strategies for light ("shade", "obstruction," "smothering low”," strong smothering ") and four belowground competition strategies for soil resources (" exploration "," occupation "" exploitation, "" neutral "). The species of the panel were replaced on the main axes of differentiation between species in ecology opposing resource conservation and capture strategies. The results do not show links between aboveground and belowground strategies. These functional classifications can be used to identify the most qualified species, a priori, to be used in banana cropping systems of the French West Indies. The use of functional traits in an agronomic context enabled us to acquire a better knowledge of the species competition abilities and opens perspectives for the establishment of a decision-making tool for the choice of species to include in multi-species cover.

Na região do Alto Uruguai do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, desde meados da década de 1970 agricultores e suas entidades vêm construindo alternativas aos efeitos “dolorosos” do processo de modernização da agricultura. Na arena da construção do conhecimento agroecológico, uma das ações mais significativas implementadas nos últimos 15 anos está relacionada aos sistemas agroflorestais. Nesse contexto, o objetivo geral dessa pesquisa foi analisar o papel do conhecimento local na construção do conhecimento agroecológico (CCA) e na produção de novidades em sistemas agroflorestais de erva-mate e de frutíferas nesta região. Esta pesquisa tem sua base teórica, principalmente, na Perspectiva Orientada ao Ator, complementada pela Perspectiva Multinível. Nos municípios gaúchos de Aratiba, Itatiba do Sul, Severiano de Almeida e Viadutos foram realizadas 18 entrevistas semiestruturadas durante a pesquisa, sendo 13 com agricultores, três com técnicos e duas com tarefeiros. Os principais resultados obtidos com a pesquisa foram os seguintes: a família, a experimentação e os intercâmbios entre os próprios agricultores foram as principais facetas caracterizadas da arena da CCA; os agricultores realizam uma série de experimentos em suas unidades de produção, sempre “filtrando” aquilo que lhes interessa; a partir dos quatro modos de conversão do conhecimento foi possível analisar a dinâmica da CCA entre os agricultores entrevistados; o conhecimento local dos agricultores relacionado aos SAFs se manifesta nas escolhas e no manejo das espécies visando principalmente o sombreamento das culturas; os agricultores consideram o próprio sistema agroflorestal de erva-mate ou de citros uma novidade nos últimos 15 anos; outra novidade observada foi o Grupo de Poda, considerado uma retro-inovação; o Circuito Sul de Comercialização da Rede Ecovida é uma novidade que tenciona os mercados convencionais e o próprio regime sociotécnico da agricultura. Embora a pesquisa tenha apontado os sistemas agroflorestais como uma novidade, alguns limites para sua expansão ficaram evidentes. Assim, é importante promover ações na região do Alto Uruguai de aproximação entre os agricultores que trabalham com vários tipos de SAFs, a partir das suas práticas, estimulando o seu protagonismo. Nesse sentido, é necessária a realização de um amplo diagnóstico para “descobrir” os experimentos “escondidos”. Um elemento importante a ser mais amplamente investigado está relacionado à própria construção do conhecimento agroecológico e sua relação com as dinâmicas entre o conhecimento tácito ou local e conhecimento codificado ou científico. Um desafio que ainda permanece é quanto à comercialização das frutíferas nativas oriundas dos sistemas agroflorestais. / In the Upper Uruguay region of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, since the mid-1970s, farmers and their entities have been building alternatives to the "painful" effects of the modernization process of agriculture. In the agroecological knowledge construction arena, one of the most significant actions implemented in the last 15 years is related to agroforestry systems. In this context, the general objective of this research was to analyze the role of local knowledge in the construction of agroecological knowledge (CCA) and in the production of novelties in agroforestry systems of yerba mate and fruit trees in this region. This research has its theoretical base, mainly, in the Perspective Oriented to the Actor, complemented by the Multilevel Perspective. In the municipalities of Aratiba, Itatiba do Sul, Severiano de Almeida and Viadutos, 18 semi-structured interviews were carried out during the research, 13 with farmers, three with technicians and two with workers of mate. The main results obtained with the research were the following: family, experimentation and exchanges among the farmers themselves were the main facets of the CCA arena; the farmers perform a series of experiments in their production units, always "filtering" what interests them; from the four modes of knowledge conversion it was possible to analyze the dynamics of the CCA among the farmers interviewed; the local knowledge of farmers related to SAFs is manifested in the choices and management of the species aiming mainly at the shading of crops; the farmers consider the agroforestry system of yerba mate or citrus a novelty in the last 15 years; another novelty observed was the Pruning Group, considered a retro-innovation; the Southern Circuit of Commercialization of the Ecovida Network is a novelty that intends the conventional markets and the own sociotechnical regime of the agriculture. Although the research has pointed agroforestry systems as a novelty, some limits to its expansion have become evident. Thus, it is important to promote actions in the Upper Uruguay region to approach farmers who work with various types of SAFs, based on their practices, stimulating their protagonism. In this sense, it is necessary to carry out a comprehensive diagnosis to "discover" the "hidden" experiments. An important element to be more widely investigated is related to the very construction of agroecological knowledge and its relation to the dynamics between tacit or local knowledge and codified or scientific knowledge. A challenge that still remains is the commercialization of native fruit from agroforestry systems.

Submitted by Maria Medeiros (maria.dilva1@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-08-03T12:12:29Z No. of bitstreams: 1 JONATTA SOUSA PAULINO - TESE (PPGCS) 2017.pdf: 2214464 bytes, checksum: 756c080f88fbc22aa10f07e5dfc6d6bc (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-03T12:12:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JONATTA SOUSA PAULINO - TESE (PPGCS) 2017.pdf: 2214464 bytes, checksum: 756c080f88fbc22aa10f07e5dfc6d6bc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-17 / O fomento da prática agroecológica se dá por meio do trabalho conjunto de uma série de pessoas, representantes de discursos e instituições, constituindo atores-chaves para o entendimento das dinâmicas atuais do mundo rural. Dentre as três principais vertentes da agroecologia (prática agrícola, movimento social e ciência), focar-se-á, nessa pesquisa, no âmbito da sua atividade acadêmico-científica. A preocupação desta tese está relacionada com as condições de existência de um campo científico que institucionaliza a agroecologia no Brasil, enquanto uma manifestação específica das várias estratégias discursivas e práticas que envolvem a agroecologia. Sabendo disto, o objetivo geral é analisar o cenário científico agroecológico nacional, enxergando as redes tecidas para a construção deste campo, seus discursos de transformação social, atores e suas implicações na construção de políticas para o mundo rural. A metodologia seguida consiste em uma análise de redes a partir da Teoria Ator-Rede (TAR) de Bruno Latour (2012), posta em prática a partir da leitura de vários textos sobre agroecologia, focando naqueles que tratam de suas características epistemológicas e discursivas e, em seguida, no trabalho de campo propriamente dito, com a realização de entrevistas semi-estruturadas focando nas trajetórias dos atores escolhidos e na observação de eventos acadêmicos da área, levando em conta a capacidade performativa da ciência, onde cientistas, pesquisadores, professores e técnicos de organizações da sociedade civil que se dedicam a esta temática pautam o debate na construção de uma agenda para as políticas públicas. Esta pesquisa mostrou que a institucionalização da agroecologia se faz a partir de uma rede internacional de humanos e não-humanos, conformando grupos de cientistas que procuram acumular capitais ao longo de suas trajetórias profissionais – imbuídos de discursos ecológicos, ambientais e de empoderamento de minorias – para adentrar no Estado em contextos políticos favoráveis e fortalecer iniciativas voltadas para a agroecologia. / The fomentation of agroecological practice occurs through the joint work of a number of people, representatives of discourses and institutions, constituting key-players for understanding the current dynamics of the rural world. Among the three main aspects of agroecology (agricultural practice, social movement and science), this research will focus on its academic-scientific activity. The concern of this thesis is related to the existence’s conditions of a scientific field that institutionalizes agroecology in Brazil, as a specific manifestation of the various discursive and practical strategies that involve agroecology. Knowing this, the general objective is to analyze the national agro-ecological scientific scenario, seeing the networks woven for the construction of this field, its discourses of social transformation, actors and the implications in the construction of policies for the rural world. The methodology consists of a network analysis based on Bruno Latour's Actor-Network Theory (ANT) (2012), put into practice through the reading of several texts about agroecology, focusing on those that deal with their epistemological and discursive characteristics, and then, in the fieldwork itself, with the realization of semi-structured interviews focusing on the trajectories of the chosen actors and the observation of academic events in the área, given the performative capacity of science, where scientists, researchers, professors and technicians from civil society organizations that dedicate themselves to this theme guide the debate in the construction of an agenda for public policies. This research showed that the institutionalization of agroecology is based on an international network of humans and nonhumans, forming groups of scientists seeking to accumulate capital along their professional trajectories – imbued with ecological, environmental and minority empowerment discourses – to enter the State in favorable political contexts and strengthen initiatives focused on agroecology.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-31T13:15:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JoseWCC_DISSERT.pdf: 1769454 bytes, checksum: 1e839eb2fbc3232874eb8013b7cd6e12 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-08-30 / Agroecology has emerged as a new paradigm supporting transition processes to more sustainable farming styles. The application of agroecology principles in the family farming has caused a series of transformations in agroecosystems and in various dimensions of family farming. Aiming to study the impacts of Agroecology in the family farming, it was done a study that was based on experiences in rural settlements of Rio Grande do Norte/RN (Brazil), between June, 2009 and June, 2010. The methodology was based on the interpretation of reality through the protagonists´ experiences, the interaction of these subjects with the author knowledge and the theoretical available about this topic. The main techniques were: the semistructured dialogue with a total of 20 interviews; the diagram of impact; the records and observations did in loco , through visits to the experiments; the photographic records made by the author or other individuals involved in the process; as well as the analysis of reports, publications and other institutional archives of the partner entities. The use of Agroecology principles by the family farming has been changing, in many ways, since the relationship between the farmers with their Agroecosystems, providing food production, creating new ways for marketing and income generation, until the overcoming of sexist attitudes on gender relations in family farming, reflecting in the sustainable use of biodiversity, preservation of culture and construction of new knowledge, increasing the production of healthier foods, the construction of autonomy in relation to chemical inputs, the increasing of incomes and the affirmation of new values that are articulated with other flags, as the Agrarian Reform, the Feminism and the Solidary Economy. / A Agroecologia surge como um novo paradigma apoiando processos de transição para estilos de agricultura mais sustentáveis. A aplicação dos princípios da Agroecologia na agricultura familiar tem causado uma série de transformações nos agroecossistemas e nas diversas dimensões da agricultura familiar. Objetivando estudar os impactos da Agroecologia na agricultura familiar, foi realizado um estudo que teve por base as experiências desenvolvidas em assentamentos rurais do Rio Grande do Norte, durante o período de Junho de 2009 a Junho de 2010. A metodologia teve como tripé a interpretação da realidade através dos protagonistas das experiências, a interação do conhecimento desses sujeitos com o do autor e o referencial teórico disponível sobre a temática. As principais técnicas utilizadas foram: o diálogo semi-estruturado, num total de 20 entrevistas; o diagrama de impacto; as observações e registros feitos in loco , através das visitas às experiências; os registros fotográficos feitos pelo próprio autor ou por outros sujeitos envolvidos no processo; bem como análise de relatórios, publicações e demais arquivos institucionais das entidades parceiras. A utilização dos princípios da Agroecologia pela agricultura familiar tem modificado, de formas diversas, a relação entre os agricultores e agricultoras com seus agroecossistemas, da produção de alimentos a criação de novos caminhos para comercialização, geração de renda, até a superação de posturas machistas nas relações de gênero na agricultura familiar, tendo reflexo no uso sustentável da biodiversidade, na preservação da cultura e construção de novos saberes, no aumento da produção de alimentos mais saudáveis, na construção da autonomia em relação aos insumos químicos, no aumento de renda e na afirmação de novos valores que se articulam com outras bandeiras, como a Reforma Agrária, o Feminismo e a Economia Solidária.