Urban family agriculture as an alternative model to capital. The case of Cooperativa Abrazo Cordial, Fontana (Chaco)

Abstract

Urban agriculture is an activity that is carried out worldwide, and in recent decades, it has been increasingly recognized not only for the territorial transformations it generates but also for its contribution to the balance of the urban ecosystem by reducing the impact that demographic growth has on the natural environment. In the Metropolitan Area of Gran Resistencia (AMGR, in Spanish), where significant demographic growth and territorial expansion have been recorded in the last 20 years, family farmers in urban and peri-urban areas play a prominent role because their horticultural, poultry, or small livestock production provides food for the local population. The viability of these activities responds to personal initiatives (of individuals and their families) or to decisions of public policies by the State managing and legitimizing them in urban areas. In this context, our objective is to deepen the study of an urban family agricultural associative form located in Fontana, Gran Resistencia district. As a case study, qualitative methodology and techniques were used to generate primary information, from which we have been able to observe the relationships between the different actors and the role played by these producers.