Agroecological Education and Community Extension in the Brazilian Semi-Arid Region: Actions Developed at IFNMG – Araçuaí Campus

Abstract

Agroecology combines ecological, social, and cultural knowledge to create resilient and sustainable agricultural systems. In semi-arid regions like Minas Gerais, Federal Institutes promote teaching, research, and extension to strengthen rural communities’ productivity and autonomy. This study aimed to analyze successful agroecological education and community extension actions developed at the Federal Institute of Northern Minas Gerais (IFNMG) – Araçuaí Campus, located in the Brazilian semi-arid region, highlighting their contributions to student training, the strengthening of family farming, and sustainable territorial development. The research is characterized as applied, qualitative, and descriptive, based on the systematization of pedagogical and extension experiences conducted between January 2025 to January 2026. The analyzed actions included discussion circles, technical lectures, a Field Day on agroecological cultivation, the implementation of portable sustainable gardens as a didactic modeling strategy, and the production and distribution of 300 fruit and forest seedlings. Data were collected through institutional records, participant observation, questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups, and analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic categorization. The results demonstrated significant formative, technical, and socio-environmental impacts. Active methodologies strengthened systemic thinking and student protagonism, while extension activities enhanced dialogue between scientific knowledge and local wisdom. The high level of community participation evidenced the mobilizing potential of agroecological practices grounded in experiential learning and knowledge exchange. The production and distribution of seedlings reinforced environmental education and territorial sustainability. It is concluded that agroecology, when integrated into professional education and rural extension, constitutes a transformative strategy that consolidates the inseparability of teaching, research, and extension in semi-arid contexts.