S15 - Session P4 - Evaluation of fruit orchards as potential agroecological lighthouses

Authors: Liliana Flores, Maria Claudia Dussi *, Myrian Barrionuevo, Karina Zon

Agroecology is an alternative to address the problems associated with industrial agriculture. In this sense, amplification is called to the process through which agroecological practices are initiated and promoted at the agricultural, community and regional levels. Orchards can act as lighthouses or learning spaces to foster the adoption of agroecological principles and practices. The objective of this work was to evaluate, through indicators, two fruit orchards in Patagonia, Argentina (39°SL), as potential agroecological lighthouses. Field studies and interviews were carried out using ten indicators: Motivations to search for different agricultural alternatives; level of social organization; participation in networks to share experiences and knowledge; use of agroecological practices; autonomy; community leadership; links with universities, NGOs, extension agents among others; local and national policies that promote agroecological management of the orchard; favorable markets (participation in alternative markets, networks, direct links with consumers) and application of agroecological principles. The indicators were evaluated between 1 and 5 (1 corresponds to a poor performance, 2.5 medium and 5 to high performance of agroecological amplification). As an example of indicators with high performance were: Motivations to search for different agricultural alternatives, since fruit growers expressed care for the environment as a basis and one of them criticized the harmful effects of industrial agriculture applying agroecological principles; and in the case of the indicator that measures links with universities, NGOs, extension agents, among others, a close link was reported between producers and engineers in charge of advising the orchard with researchers from the University and the National Institute of Agricultural Technology. Most of the indicators are found in average values of performance in both orchards. This is the case of the indicator Level of social organization with farmers because the growers are members of farmers' organizations only at the local level. Through this research, it was possible to determine the potential of the orchards as agroecological lighthouses. This first analysis will allow complementing subsequent studies of amplification processes linked to the territory.