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.