Banca de DEFESA: JUCIANY MEDEIROS ARAUJO

AGROECOLOGY, WOMEN AND TERRITORY: AN ANALYSIS OF THE PROMOTION OF FOOD SOVEREIGNTY FROM THE CASE OF THE BOLEIRAS FROM THE NORMANDIA SETTLEMENT IN CARUARU – PE

Keywords: Agroecology; Solidarity Economy; Gender; Food and Nutrition Sovereignty.

The Boleiras de Normandia are rural women who live in the Normandia settlement in Caruaru, Pernambuco. They have stories of life and struggle that are constantly repeated in other territories. The political and ideological confrontations inherent in the process of winning rights give new meaning to their collective identity and the relationships they establish with the territory. The study analysed how the women's group "Boleiras de Normandia", through agroecological practices, the valuing of local knowledge and the search for food sovereignty, has achieved autonomy from the perspective of feminist economics and solidarity economics. The diversified strategies are helping the group to improve their quality of life and achieve greater emancipation, giving new meaning to productive and reproductive labour practices. The methodology used was qualitative with quantitative complements from an action research perspective, with the use of agroecological notebooks as the central tool. It also sought to encourage women's participation in action-reflection-action on their own condition, in order to strengthen agroecological practices and territorial identity. The final product of the study was a "Guide to the Production and Marketing of Agroecological Products by Rural Women" and the link to the promotion of autonomy and food and nutritional sovereignty for their families, as well as the creation of references for other rural women, based on this example, can understand the stages of the process from a practical reality experienced in the settlement. This research shows that women play a leading role in the processing and commercialisation of their products at agroecological fairs and in the qualification of production, taking on an important role in the production process, as well as contributing effectively to building ways of overcoming situations of gender and socioeconomic inequality.