Agricultura urbana

prática espontânea, política pública e transformação de saberes rurais na cidade

Abstract

The paper discusses concepts and practices of Urban Agriculture (UA) that take place around the world. Emphasis is given to Belo Horizonte initiatives, carried out both by population living in slums and peripheral areas in informal and spontaneous ways, and by the local government which considers it an object of public intervention for specific purposes. It proposes some speculative thoughts about the nature of the city constituted by the built environment, but also by green areas, parks, and vacant land with various uses, agriculture included. The paper discusses the potential for UA regarding prevailing concepts of ecological city, productive city and inclusive city related to environmental, social and cultural dimensions of the city. It argues that it is difficult to have safe access to urban land to maintain UA practices which are spatially located and characterized by the provision of food. The paper concludes that UA debate is still fragile and has to overcome many challenges to get established as a social policy influencing urban policies. UA is not a new practice, but is new research field, and as such, has to be regarded as part of the contemporary urban processes and struggles.