Agroecosystem resilience. A conceptual and methodological framework for evaluation

Abstract

AbstractThis article proposes a conceptual and methodological framework for analyzing agroecosystem resilience, which incorporates agrarian structure and peasant community agency. The methodology is applied to a comparison of two peasant communities in Latin America (Brazil and Colombia), emphasizing the capacity to transform unsustainable power structures in place of adapting to them. This application demonstrates that when agency is strongly developed, as in the case of Brazil, it is possible to transform structural conditions that restrict resilience. The inclusion and consideration of biophysical variables, management practices, agrarian structure and agency, through a participatory approach, allows for the identification of factors that inhibit or potentiate the resilience of agroecosystems.