A Importância das Feiras para o Fortalecimento da Agricultura Urbana no Município do Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

With the growing urbanization process, the practice of Urban Agriculture (UA) has been gaining prominence on the national scene, especially in large cities such as Rio de Janeiro, due to its capacity to produce food, improve the quality of life and promote sovereignty and food and nutrition security (SAN) of urban populations. Another important factor is the generation of work and income for families through the sale of surplus production, with direct sales at fairs being the most used channel in the AU. The possibility of selling food, mainly in organic/agroecological fairs, values and encourages the work of urban farmers, who are made invisible by the government. The objective of the research was to understand the importance of fairs for the commercialization and strengthening of UA in the city of Rio de Janeiro. For this, interview techniques and participatory observation in data collection were chosen. When analyzing the interviews, it was found that most farmers have the sale of food at fairs as their main source of income. According to the survey, 60% of respondents have another source of income and the farmer who has no other source of income sells food in more than one location. Thus, it can be inferred that those farmers who trade in more than one location, through the UA, are able to generate income to support the family.