Think and act locally: mediating the transition from conventional to agroecological practices, a plausible pathway towards rural settlements

Abstract

The process of globalization is considered to be directly related to poverty and environmental degradation, especially in Latin America. The internationalization of capital has been closely associated with globalization and despite the fact that the slogan "Think globally, act locally" has been coined for the marketing world, at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro (ECO-1992) the use of the slogan has become more widely known in the formulation of Agenda 21, as an instrument for sustainable development. Reflections on the practices of mediation towards new paradigm of sustainable development applying a
multidisciplinary approach and, thus the concept "Think locally". Since
agroecology draws upon basic ecological principles for its conceptual framework,
the socio-cultural context of ecosystem and biodiversity valuation should be
considered key issues of sustainable development, without incurring any unwanted consequences, as the isolation from the reality of the world. The means of achieving the desired goal of sustainability that meets social and ecological needs includes local resources and capabilities, aimed at encouraging residents to use the proposed moulds. However, the decisions of social actors, especially farmers, who were encouraged to "think globally", have suffered under the yoke of international market, which makes them to acting as agents only to protect economic interests abroad. Furthermore, while protecting the environment and localized food production in accordance with the social solidarity and collective action in an endogenous development mould, it is likewise expected that the local interconnections strongly contribute to solving global problems.

Keywords: Endogenous Development, Agroecology, Family Agriculture.