Syntropic Agriculture: Education Towards Food Sustainability and Sovereignty A Case Study of Critical Food Systems Education in Brazil

Abstract

In order for Brazil to be able to achieve sustainable development, it must reconcile its current agricultural system with social equity, poverty alleviation in rural and urban areas, along with environmental preservation. The current growth and prioritization of monoculture production are leading to environmental degradation and food insecurity nationwide. A new sustainable agroforestry food production system called syntropic agriculture is quickly picking up the speed of adoption across Brazil, which has the potential to tackle many of these issues. This practice was created by the Swiss scientist Ernst Götsch, using a transdisciplinary scientific approach, which creates a regenerative area which is independent of inputs and irrigation. The philosophy behind the practice emphasized the holistic idea of working with nature, not against it. In the last couple of years, many farms that serve as syntropic agriculture research and/or educational centers are spurring up across Brazil. Furthermore, its basic principles have been gaining popularity through educational material found online. Researchers, professors, students, and teachers have also been involving themselves further into the field, contributing to syntropic agriculture’s knowledge and education. This research examines the important question of how syntropic agriculture education across Brazil is assisting in the transition to more sustainable food systems. It does so by investigating how each of the four pillars of critical food systems education; agroecology, food justice, popular education, and food sovereignty, relates to syntropic agriculture education. Syntropic agriculture education is helping address the current education gap, allowing all individuals from all social classes and races to achieve food sovereignty while producing in a sustainable manner. It is of high importance that proper education systems regarding sustainable agriculture are put in place since teaching practices such as syntropic agriculture have the potential to provide knowledge, create food justice, and secure food sovereignty, both in Brazil and worldwide.