Between mingas, pucherones, and assemblies. Community agroecology in El Soberbio (Misiones).

Abstract

El Soberbio, a town located in the east-central part of the province of Misiones (Argentina), is a direct witness to the advance of agrarian capitalism in Latin America. In the first decades of the 21st century, faced with the need to create not only general improvements in the living conditions of rural populations historically marginalized from the benefits of rural development, but also to generate alternative forms of production and marketing to this hegemonic production model, processes of valorization of primary goods and new ways of connecting with nature, the environment, and among the men and women who inhabit these territories are activated. The rural world is no longer seen solely for its misery and deprivation, but is now redefined.

We propose an analysis of various agroecological experiences and projects that have been established since the late 2000s and continue to this day in El Soberbio, driven by a new migratory flow from major metropolises in our country, the region, and the world. In coordination with the local population, they deploy family farming resilience strategies that promote rural roots, strengthen food sovereignty and security, and allow them to achieve higher incomes by implementing sustainable management practices with minimal environmental impact.

Through an ethnographic approach, this article aims to analyze the main characteristics of these community-based agroecological projects, as well as to investigate the demands and grievances emerging from these associations, how they carry out their daily work, their internal organization, and their decision-making.