AGROECOLOGICAL FAIRS IN FEDERAL UNIVERSITIES

alternatives, limits and possibilities

Abstract

Agroecological fairs have been positioning themselves as an alternative form of food marketing, based on the principle of sustainable production and in support of Family Farming as a production model. This essay aims to describe the formation and operation of this type of fairs within university institutions, through the case study of the Agroecological Fair of the Federal University of Latin American Integration (UNILA), located in the city of Foz de Iguazú, state from Paraná, Brazil. A qualitative methodology was used, handling the interview –structured and exploratory-, photographic record and bibliographic review as techniques. As a result, a great cooperation network was detected between the economic actors of the fair, from which close personal relationships emerge, a factor that contributes to the management of conflict points and has allowed the reproduction of said market. Thus, it is concluded and recommended the implementation of projects of this nature within the institutions that, later, could be extrapolated to the external community, thus supporting small farmers and in turn promoting the implementation of public policies for this sector within the communities where they develop.