La inalterable escasez de iniciativas agroecológicas en el paisaje agroindustrial de Doñana

Abstract

The heterogeneity of the Andalusian countryside invites us to rethink the diverse depth of agroecology in the region. From the 1980s, numerous social movements —fundamentally trade unions and environmentalists— contributed in Andalusia to the formation of the scientific-practical approach of agroecology, with a special impact on its political dimension (González de Molina, 2016). Today, without forgetting agroecological success stories in the region, the social transformation triggered by this powerful tool is still a dream in much of Andalusia, with a paradigmatic example found in the agro-industrial model that survives in protected natural areas. Our research in Doñana underlined the timid presence of agroecology in environmental discourse (these groups are engaged «in a thousand battles»), the erratic use of the concept by public authorities and the anecdotal presence of this discipline in the imaginaction of the agricultural industry and/or a great deal of citizens. Therefore, we analyse the possibilities and difficulties that agroecology comes across in this iconic protected area, and we point out the need for an agroecological transition given the complex panorama of climate change.