Enhancing conceptual and practical understandings of small-scale farming resilience in the metropolitan countryside of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract

Rural-urban complexity can be seen across the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region where land use, and economic and environmental policies have generated conflicts. In this context, agriculture has become juxtaposed with other functions and interests, which has resulted in a mosaic of diversified land use. These rural-urban interactions also provide opportunities to develop different types of knowledge that allow communities to develop resilience in an environment of spatial changes. The aim of this article is to analyse rural change and farming resilience in the Eastern Rio Metropolis, based on primary research undertaken in 2017 and 2018. The results provide useful insights for understanding the nature of rural-urban interactions in a metropolitan countryside that could, in turn, inform policies for promoting local and regional quality food systems and small-scale farming strategies.