Towards sustainability of local development in rural areas: new alternative productive scenarios in General Pueyrredon District, Argentina

MOLPECERES, C.; DE RITO, M; ZULAICA, L; MIKKELSEN, C.

Journal of Local Development and Society

Taylor and Francis

Año: 2021 vol. 2 p. 271 - 291

2319-7064

Argentine intensive and extensive agriculture has stood out in recent decades for its accelerated expansion processes linked to the technology package.The environmental, social, economic, cultural, and human health consequences of such an intensification challenge the prevailing production model. In this context, there is a growing consensus, among different social and institutional actors, on the need to find sustainable productive alternatives. Some proposals, such as "sustainable agriculture", "organic agriculture" or "agroecological agriculture", provide ideas to contribute to local development, promoting harmonious relations between social actors and nature.This article explores alternative proposals for extensive agricultural and horticultural farming in the district of General Pueyrredon, inquiring about the continuities, controversies and conflicts generated by its coexistence. Previous research, data from the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INDEC) was analyzed, and semi-structured interviews with key informants and farmers were collected.The "alternative" proposals promote the maintenance of ecological foundations, the well-being of society and individual and collective peace.Keywords: Alternative production systems, Industrial agriculture, Wellbeing, Rural development, Sustainable development goals.