Fios, redes e tramas de aprendizagens: agroecologia urbana e convivência comunitária na Horta Alto das Antenas

Abstract

This thesis is guided by the learning processes that took place within the Alto das Antenas Garden, a space built by a group of women in partnership with the Sustainable Territories Program and agroecology networks in Belo Horizonte. This research was conducted between 2021 and 2024 using participatory methodologies and my own ethnographic observation, which evolved over time: initially as a researcher and program manager, and later solely as a researcher. This shift in my role within the research field allowed for a deeper analysis of the challenges and possibilities in constructing knowledge and practicing urban agroecology, both at an institutional level and within territorial and community contexts. The investigation traces the networks and connections established by the women of the Alto das Antenas Garden with communities of practice and the networks woven by the program, unveiling a web of agroecological learning that integrates and articulates techniques for healthy food production and sustainable management and issues of gender, race, class, socio-environmental struggles, and community coexistence. In times of climate emergency, the agroecological garden amidst the ruins of capitalism embodies processes of cosmopolitical participation, transforming the lives of the women who became urban farmers, multipliers, and promoters of agroecological practices in Vila Alto das Antenas. The experiences and learning of these women were also strengthened through collective efforts, gatherings, courses, and exchanges with other peripheral territories in Belo Horizonte (quilombos and urban occupations), as well as regional and national agroecology networks. Nevertheless, securing income generation with sustainability remains a challenge, highlighting the need for redistributive justice and support for alternative economies in the face of the neoliberal logic. Finally, the thesis presents a set of participatory methodological experiences that underscore the importance of popular education for and within public policies, as well as examples of socio-environmental technologies and public agroecology actions to promote sustainability and collective health in urban territories.