Conventional, organic or agroecological: What product is this?

Abstract

Population growth combined with revolutions in the agricultural sector allowed for a great expansion of agriculture, evolving from family systems and polycultures to large extensions of monoculture plantations. This type of production, despite generating significant income and having an important role in the economy of our country, generates major impacts on the environment and damages the health of rural producers and consumers. Thus, agroecology emerges as a sustainable alternative in opposition to the premises imposed by the conventional agricultural production system in order to minimize environmental impacts without ignoring the socioeconomic, ethical and cultural factors of each region. Consumers are supporting the importance of environmental preservation and conservation, valuing the so-called ecologically correct products, paying more financially for the products, but not knowing how to differentiate an organic product from an agroecological product. In the state of Espírito Santo, it is common to find organic and/or agroecological products available to final consumers, including in agroecological fairs, however, informal research in the region of Alegre and Greater Vitória - ES, led us to believe that there is no knowledge exact about the differences between the nomenclatures of “conventional”, “organic” and “agroecological” product by the actors involved in the production chain. The present work sought to develop an enlightening review of the concept of the final product, whether it comes from conventional, organic or agroecological agriculture, also highlighting aspects related to the environment, food safety, human and cultural well- being. The agroecological system has been gaining important attention, since it determines a productivity that maintains and conserves the exploited soil, the natural ecological interactions, managing to mix economic growth with the quality of life, as the ecologically-based production system provides less use of agrochemicals. Finally, we created an informative booklet about the concepts of conventional, organic and agroecological products, which will also clarify information about the health benefits, environmental, social and economic importance of agroecological products, available electronically to the consumer and academic community.