FROM THE GREEN REVOLUTION TO AGROECOLOGY: DISPUTES OVER PROJECTS AND THE FUTURE OF BRAZILIAN AGRICULTURE

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the paradigmatic dispute between the conventional agricultural model, consolidated since the Green Revolution, and the systemic paradigm based on agroecology, focusing on the Brazilian context. Based on a qualitative literature review, drawing on classic authors and recent empirical studies, it examines the historical roots of agricultural modernization, the relationship between the state, corporations, and agribusiness, and the effects of this process on productive autonomy, food sovereignty, and socio-environmental degradation. In contrast, the scientific, sociopolitical, and epistemological foundations of agroecology are discussed, understood not only as a set of sustainable techniques, but as a civilizing project that integrates ecological principles, social justice, and the valorization of territorial knowledge. Empirical evidence of agroecological transition in Brazil is presented, with emphasis on Agroforestry Systems (SAFs), Crop-Livestock-Forest Integration (ILPF) models, short marketing circuits, participatory certification, and experiences of technical assistance and rural extension guided by agroecology. Finally, the chapter proposes a proactive agenda that includes restructuring public technical assistance, specific credit policies for the transition, strengthening territorial markets, and progressive regulation of pesticide use. It argues that the choice for agroecology is not only technical in nature, but also political and civilizational, implying a choice between maintaining structural dependence on agribusiness and building food sovereignty rooted in the territories.