Agroecology and La Vía Campesina I. The symbolic and material construction of agroecology through peasant-to-peasant processes

Abstract

In this essay, we look at the symbolic and material territorialization of agroecology in La Vía Campesina (LVC) through peasant-to-peasant processes (PtPPs) in the broad sense. The most significant examples of the scaling up of agroecology are clearly tied to organizational processes and in our perspective, PtPPs are the motor of these changes. We contend that agroecology, subjects, and territories are articulated in these processes, making up a powerful dispositive or device for agroecological transformation and scaling up. We also introduce a discussion on the emergence of a historical-political subject, the agroecological peasantry, within the larger territorial dispute concerning the transformation of the agri-food system and living conditions in the countryside.