Entre a agroecologia e a cana-de-açúcar: desafios da transição agroecológica na Mata Sul de Pernambuco na perspectiva de um agricultor familiar

Abstract

Agroecological transition has been recognized as an important strategy for promoting sustainable rural development, especially in territories historically marked by monoculture and socio-environmental degradation. In the Mata Sul region of Pernambuco, the predominance of sugarcane cultivation has shaped the agrarian structure and imposed significant challenges on family farming. In this context, this study aimed to analyze the challenges of the agroecological transition from the perspective of a settled family farmer who experienced the shift from conventional sugarcane cultivation to agroecological practices and, subsequently, a partial return to the sugarcane system. The research is qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive in nature, adopting a case study approach based on a semi-structured interview and content analysis. The results indicate that the initial motivation for the transition was mainly associated with formative processes, community influence, and the perception of environmental and health improvements. However, the lack of continuous technical assistance, market instability, high labor costs, and the fragility of public policies contributed to the interruption of the transition and the return to sugarcane cultivation, understood as a social reproduction strategy. It is concluded that agroecology has significant transformative potential, but its consolidation depends on favorable structural conditions