| Agroforest systems (AFS) are agricultural techniques that combine woody arboreal species (fruit-bearing and/or wood producing) with agricultural production. AFSs have the capacity to make degraded areas productive, preserving at the same time natural resources and providing food, wood, firewood and diverse vegetable essences. Since 1994 the Centro de Agricultura alternativa Vicente Nica -CAV (Vicente Nica Alternative Agriculture Center) and a group of 32 farmers/experimentators practice and divulge AFS in the Alto Jequitinhonha area, trying to develop a conservationist production alternative. This article analyzes the effects of this experience on rural extension, investigating how the practice of AFS, the mobilization of rural communities and... |
