Agricultura Urbana: proposta de modelo de negócios

Abstract

The idea of producing food in the urban centers in which they are consumed has become a global trend nowadays. Urban Agriculture (AU) is understood by a multidimensional activity of production of agricultural products and services in intra and peri-urban areas, with the great potential to promote urban, social and environmental management of the urban centers. Urban production has the function of integrating into the modern society as a strategic alternative to the development of urban space, aiming to meet the growing demand of the agro-food market and supplying the basic needs of beneficiaries, promoting citizenship. In addition to these basic functions, AU can also combat the outbreaks of hunger and misery; produce in a way that preserves and respects natural resources, being an alternative capable of guiding these urban centers to the path of sustainability, thus enabling improvements in food and nutritional health, opportunities for job creation, reduction of environmental impacts and transportation costs, community approximation and social coexistence, improvements in public sanitation several other benefits may be listed. The main aspect that urban agriculture differs from rural, however, is the environment. It is a production practice that can be carried out in any urban and peri-urban environment, that is, any area can be availed, from an apartment vase to extensive areas of land under natural or artificial light. In this context, the present work seeks to use the knowledge and principles of agroecology to develop the proposal for a business model aimed at implementing urban agriculture, taking advantage of the vacant lost present in the urban fabric of the cities. The methodology of the work consisted in the analysis of the reading regarding the model of agricultural production, together with the development of the method of Business Model Canvas. The results obtained illustrate a business model through presentation of the completed “Business Model Canvas”, followed by the presentation of the ideas that compose each of the 9 blocks that will structure the business. The objective was achieved and the business project was developed from the premises of AU, considering all its implications. The need to produce healthy foods to meet the growing demand that comes from the large urban centers, together with the current concern of the world in relation to environmental crises were clearly essential for the realization of this work, however, one of the most important aspect to this work, is to be able to present a way of combating the hunger and misery that are usually present in large cities, in the other words the work motivates itself in generating condition to families, especially those with low incomes, so that they can produce their own food in a healthy way, in addition, enabling an extra income source with the sale of surplus. According to the above, this work believes that it possible, for the whole society around these areas of urban, agriculture a food reeducation and a higher level of qualification of people who occupy these large urban centers.