From the pandemic to agroecology

building a new socio-ecological paradigm

Abstract

The COVID 19 pandemic exacerbated the ongoing social and environmental crises. In this critical essay, we emphasize the impact that neo-extractivism – with particular attention to agribusiness – has had in this process, and stress that a change towards a socio-ecological ontology is the only way to guarantee life and the (near)future of the planet. By questioning the meaning of the return to (a)normality, we engage in a dialogue on the debate about alternatives in dispute in Latin America. We address how agroecological social movements in Brazil have been converting these crises into opportunities through the construction of "concrete utopias" that are paving the way towards a new Eco-social paradigm.