“Peasant to Peasant” Methodology: Planting Agroecology from Schools of the Countryside to the University

Abstract

In this article, present a social process of territorialization of agroecology in agrarian reform settlement areas of in rural Ceará, northeastern Brazil, based on the implementation of the “From Peasant Women and Men to Peasant Men and Women” Methodology, in a joint effort between the Landless Workers Movement (MST), Vía Campesina, Countryside Schools, and Critical Extension. To this end, we focus on three aspects: 1) agroecology in the MST's political strategy; 2) the role of Countryside Schools in strengthening agroecology in rural areas; 3) the lessons learned by the University in co-construction with an agrarian social movement, of a pilot experience and an Extension Course for Facilitators of Agroecology in the Methodology. The approach of this methodology is based on the principles of Popular Education, Countryside Education, and Critical Extension, as well as the pedagogical processes of the “From Peasant to Peasant” Methodology.