Agroecology as Pedagogical Praxis: A Decolonial Ethnography of the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST)

Abstract

This article analyzes the role of agroecology as a pedagogical praxis within the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST) in Brazil, drawing on a qualitative ethnographic study conducted across different regions of the country. The research draws on fieldwork carried out in 2022, including participant observation, visits to rural schools and settlements, and direct interaction with educators, activists, and local communities. Engaging with a decolonial perspective, the article highlights how educational practices developed in these contexts contribute to the construction of alternative forms of knowledge production, social organization, and relationships with nature. Agroecology thus emerges not only as a productive technique, but also as an educational and political device capable of fostering processes of critical consciousness, emancipation, and the development of ecological citizenship. The article further discusses how these experiences constitute counter-hegemonic spaces of formation, where popular education, social justice, and ecological transition are intertwined, contributing to the contemporary debate on rural education. The findings show that, within the context of the MST, agroecology emerges as a pedagogical praxis capable of articulating critical education, socio-environmental justice, and the production of counter-hegemonic forms of knowledge.