Ana Maria BICALHO, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Felipe DA SILVA MACHADO, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Scott William HOEFLE, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
In recent decades considerable attention has been given to new multifunctional activities of a global nature associated with non-agricultural services and consumption of the countryside that are located on the rural-urban interface near large cities and metropolitan areas while agricultural production and farming systems found in the same space are often ignored. This trend contrasts with classic studies of rural-urban interaction which highlighted how small-scale producers tried to remain in place by using land- and capital-intensive horticulture and fruit-growing to market a variety of fresh produce for nearby urban areas. If we look at the overall process of spatial restructuring in the metropolitan countryside these agricultural activities are still important for adapting to advancing urbanisation, migration of new actors into the countryside and the burden of conservation of natural resources and environmental compensation which has been passed on to the countryside.
In the context of the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region, increasing competition from industrial, residential, and environmental functions for land use present both opportunities and conflicts for rural activities. Based on field research in different localities of the Greater Rio de Janeiro, local governance and productive farming systems strategies are shown to be crucial for adapting and maintaining agriculture as a counter-force to the complex rural-urban pressures at play in the metropolitan area. The study examines how farmers developed individual and collective resilience in the face of adverse urban, industrial, and environmental forces and so contributed to shaping a mosaic of diversified land use in the metropolitan region.
Mots clés : Local governance|Small-scale farming|Rural-urban interface|Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region
A104524Fd