Participatory action research to apply Lume methodology: Assessing an agroecological family farming (Bella Vista, Corrientes, Argentina)

Abstract

In Corrientes center-west area, the expansion of the conventional agricultural model represented a breaking point in production for self-consumption. However, diversified family farmers for selfconsumption and local marketing still persist, such as the farming families producers from The Three Colonies Agroecological Group. These agroecosystems cannot be assessed only through profitability or productivity, since their aims are determined by other elements rather than financial ones. LUME Method of agroecosystems ecological-economic analysis is a suitable proposal to carry out this assessment. The aim of this work was to assess a diversified family agroecological ecosystem from a Participatory Action Research (IAP), thus LUME method was applied in order to study a case. INCUPO, The Three Colonies Agroecological Group and the Participatory Guarantee Council (CGP) participated in the IAP. Then, the sketch, timeline, flow chart and analysis of the sustainability attributes were made. The analysis of track record allowed identifying key moments that determined a turning point in the agroecosystem. The flow chart reassured diversity as a family marketing and self-consumption strategy. The analysis of systemic attributes showed good sustainability values (0.84). The assessment confirmed that a methodology that integrates sociocultural aspects is far more suitable for family agroecosystems, and that a participatory approach fosters the construction of knowledge by integrating non-academic expertise into formal processes.