Agroecology as a Political and Social Dimension in Urban Agriculture in Mar del Plata

Abstract

From the political and social dimension of Agroecology, this paper aims to analyze the strategies of social movements that question and seek to introduce changes in agri-food systems. To this end, three collective experiences that contribute to the supply of agroecological vegetables in the context of urban and peri-urban agriculture in Mar del Plata, southeast of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, were addressed. A first approach reveals the importance of using the category of alternative agrifood networks to make visible how the links between producers, distributors, consumers, and other key actors are reconfigured to meet the emerging demands towards socially equitable, sustainable, and local agrifood systems. In this framework, the key role of the social movements that claim and promote agroecology is evident, insofar as they are supported by intersectoral networks, which, when combined, react more quickly than governments, showing a high degree of resilience. However, there are still challenges to be managed, associated with marketing, transport, or access to land, which require structural and/or comprehensive policy responses.