Avaliação de sustentabilidade de agroecossistemas em transição agroecológica na microrregião de Pato Branco: entre permanências e transformações

Abstract

The research combines a meta-analysis of four previous master’s theses (2013–2019) with new field applications involving additional farming families, thus expanding the empirical base and enabling a longitudinal and in-depth analysis of transformations within transitioning agroecosystems. A mixed-methods approach is employed, with descriptive, analytical, and participatory characteristics, involving semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and the use of tools such as the SWOT matrix. Indicators were co-constructed and validated with participants and measured using a visual scale from 1 to 3, allowing for integrated and comparable data assessment. The results reveal sustainability levels ranging from 1.75 to 2.78, positioning the agroecosystems between regular and desirable conditions. Within the social dimension, the most critical indicators were those related to generational succession, labor burden, and workforce availability, highlighting physical and generational exhaustion in rural areas. The absence of the Íris Family during fieldwork, due to their abandonment of agricultural activities, symbolically illustrates this process of rupture. In the environmental dimension, the main challenges included pressure from monocultures and limited access to local seeds and seedlings, underscoring the need for territorial public policies that promote productive diversity and system autonomy. In the economic dimension, relative stability was observed, particularly in the case of the Rosa Family, which benefited from integrated practices and institutional support. However, the weak engagement with organic certification, either due to its absence or criticism of its bureaucratic processes, signals the urgency of more accessible alternatives, such as participatory guarantee systems. The integrated analysis demonstrates that even well-established agroecosystems experience fluctuations and that sustainability relies not only on technical practices but also on support networks, political recognition, and generational continuity. Policies such as the National Plan for Youth and Rural Succession, launched in 2024, emerge as strategic for addressing the succession crisis, promoting productive inclusion, and valuing rural ways of life. It is concluded that sustainability in family agroecosystems is a continuous, relational, and historically situated process. Beyond numerical indicators, it is expressed in the dignified permanence of farming families, the strength of community networks, and the collective capacity to imagine and construct alternative rural futures.