Agroecological family farming in Uruguay, innovative and counter-hegemonic contributions to sustainability

Agroecological family farming in Uruguay has a background of over thirty years and is increasingly recognized as a valid option for the transformation of the food system. However, basic and comprehensive information on the sector is not available. The information collected by the Agroecology Network...

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Main Authors: Alberto Gómez Perazzoli, Inés Gazzano, Francisco Dieguez Cameroni
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidad de la República, Facultad de Agronomía 2024-03-01
Series:Agrociencia Uruguay
Subjects:
Online Access:https://agrocienciauruguay.uy/index.php/agrociencia/article/view/1140/1681
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author Alberto Gómez Perazzoli
Inés Gazzano
Francisco Dieguez Cameroni
author_facet Alberto Gómez Perazzoli
Inés Gazzano
Francisco Dieguez Cameroni
author_sort Alberto Gómez Perazzoli
collection DOAJ
description Agroecological family farming in Uruguay has a background of over thirty years and is increasingly recognized as a valid option for the transformation of the food system. However, basic and comprehensive information on the sector is not available. The information collected by the Agroecology Network of Uruguay in 2020 and 2021 was systematized, being this organization the only one that certifies for the domestic market, through a Participatory Guarantee System. The results obtained allow defining several aspects of the sector. The number of certified properties increased 120% between 2012 and 2021. The sale of organic food, mainly vegetables, reached USD 6.4 million in 2021 and grew 2.1 times between 2012 and 2021. Ninety-two percent of the properties are family-owned. Women's participation in the ownership of farms is 42%, which is higher than the national average. Production is distributed among 111 different species. Seventy-five percent of the farms produce their own seeds and 87% have wild areas for conservation. The most common soil management practices are the use of green manures, crop rotation, and the use of compost and biofertilizers. Direct-to-consumer sales channels are mostly used. For the first time, comprehensive information representative of the domestic market for organic food in the country is presented. Hopefully, these contributions will be useful in understanding the transition processes in agroecology, and in order to support the definition of the agendas of various actors linked to agroecology.
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spelling doaj.art-df3a801a4abe4121a99001f5c33d00a42024-03-13T13:35:47ZengUniversidad de la República, Facultad de AgronomíaAgrociencia Uruguay2730-50662024-03-0128e114010.31285/AGRO.28.1140Agroecological family farming in Uruguay, innovative and counter-hegemonic contributions to sustainabilityAlberto Gómez Perazzoli0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5373-8488Inés Gazzano1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1959-7922Francisco Dieguez Cameroni2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1737-9200Intendencia de Montevideo, Escuela Abierta de Agroecología, Montevideo, UruguayUniversidad de la República, Facultad de Agronomía, Departamento de Sistemas Ambientales, Montevideo, UruguayUniversidad de la República, Facultad de Veterinaria, IPAV, Libertad, UruguayAgroecological family farming in Uruguay has a background of over thirty years and is increasingly recognized as a valid option for the transformation of the food system. However, basic and comprehensive information on the sector is not available. The information collected by the Agroecology Network of Uruguay in 2020 and 2021 was systematized, being this organization the only one that certifies for the domestic market, through a Participatory Guarantee System. The results obtained allow defining several aspects of the sector. The number of certified properties increased 120% between 2012 and 2021. The sale of organic food, mainly vegetables, reached USD 6.4 million in 2021 and grew 2.1 times between 2012 and 2021. Ninety-two percent of the properties are family-owned. Women's participation in the ownership of farms is 42%, which is higher than the national average. Production is distributed among 111 different species. Seventy-five percent of the farms produce their own seeds and 87% have wild areas for conservation. The most common soil management practices are the use of green manures, crop rotation, and the use of compost and biofertilizers. Direct-to-consumer sales channels are mostly used. For the first time, comprehensive information representative of the domestic market for organic food in the country is presented. Hopefully, these contributions will be useful in understanding the transition processes in agroecology, and in order to support the definition of the agendas of various actors linked to agroecology.https://agrocienciauruguay.uy/index.php/agrociencia/article/view/1140/1681agroecological farmingcertificationfamily farmingmarketing
spellingShingle Alberto Gómez Perazzoli
Inés Gazzano
Francisco Dieguez Cameroni
Agroecological family farming in Uruguay, innovative and counter-hegemonic contributions to sustainability
Agrociencia Uruguay
agroecological farming
certification
family farming
marketing
title Agroecological family farming in Uruguay, innovative and counter-hegemonic contributions to sustainability
title_full Agroecological family farming in Uruguay, innovative and counter-hegemonic contributions to sustainability
title_fullStr Agroecological family farming in Uruguay, innovative and counter-hegemonic contributions to sustainability
title_full_unstemmed Agroecological family farming in Uruguay, innovative and counter-hegemonic contributions to sustainability
title_short Agroecological family farming in Uruguay, innovative and counter-hegemonic contributions to sustainability
title_sort agroecological family farming in uruguay innovative and counter hegemonic contributions to sustainability
topic agroecological farming
certification
family farming
marketing
url https://agrocienciauruguay.uy/index.php/agrociencia/article/view/1140/1681
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AT inesgazzano agroecologicalfamilyfarminginuruguayinnovativeandcounterhegemoniccontributionstosustainability
AT franciscodieguezcameroni agroecologicalfamilyfarminginuruguayinnovativeandcounterhegemoniccontributionstosustainability