Socioecological Transition in Urban Territories: the case of the Rolê Agroecológico in São Paulo

Abstract

The worsening climate crisis has driven the search for innovative intersectoral and socio-state governance arrangements oriented toward social justice. In Brazil, urban and peri-urban agroecology has emerged as a strategy for socioecological transition, combining the production of healthy food, environmental regeneration, productive inclusion, and community strengthening. This article analyzes the case of the Rolê Agroecológico, implemented in the municipality of São Paulo in 2024 under the Civil Society Organizations Regulatory Framework (MROSC). It represents an unprecedented experience of intersectoral public policy, connecting municipal students, educators, and urban, peri-urban and rural farmers through pedagogical field visits to production units and parks. This qualitative and descriptive research was based on the systematization of technical reports, quantitative data and monitoring records, interpreted in light of the literature on socioecological governance, social innovation, and feminist agroecology. The results show significant impacts, such as the consolidation of accreditation and technical assistance as central mechanisms for qualifying production units, improvements in reception conditions and institutional regularization, the expansion of productive diversity, and the preparation of farms to host pedagogical experiences. The project also promoted inclusive practices, combining healthy eating, educational activities and direct contact with agroecology. Together, these elements reposition local production as a space of learning, income and sustainability in urban and peri-urban territories, constituting a living laboratory of socioecological transition.