NETWORK FOR KNOWLEDGE BUILDING ON EVALUATION OF SUSTAINABILITY OF AGROECOSYSTEMS: MAKING THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE

Abstract

This paper aims to describe the strategy adopted to foment the activities of the Network for Knowledge Building on Evaluation of Sustainability in Agroecosystems (Consagro Network). This network has as its base the understanding of the multidimensional nature of sustainable development as a social building process, and it officially originated in December 2009. The network’s proposal is to facilitate communication between people interested in studies on sustainability, seeking to encourage the development of activities related to this subject, and contributing to the construction of knowledge on evaluation of sustainability. The achievement of these goals will be guided by the following presuppositions: agroecology; agroecosystem as the basic unit of analysis; and emphasis on participatory methodologies, family farming, and traditional and peasant populations. The strategy for development of this network is based on a modality called hybrid learning, in which activities are performed with personal contacts and through the use of informatics. Details of the strategy used are shown, as well as the results reported throughout the activities; the acceptance of the network activities by those participants is emphasized; and the way forward is shown, with the encouragement of the use of the network and the search for computing tools that allow a more synchronized action between the stakeholders.