System of concepts in agroecology

• Grant number: 14/16409-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2014
• End date: October 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Linguistics
• Principal Investigator: Gladis Maria de Barcellos Almeida
• Grantee: Geovana Fernanda Cruz
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Agroecology is a transdisciplinary field of knowledge that contains the basic methodological and theoretical principles in order to enable the design and management of sustainable agro-ecosystems while promoting social inclusion. Food-producing countries, such as Brazil, have the challenge of thinking agriculture in this way. In this sense, the Group for Studies and Research in Terminology (Portuguese acronym GETerm) and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) have been developing a base of knowledge about this field of knowledge, in order to represent information available in Agroecology, information which, if well organized, will serve as subsidies for the creation of public policies of national impact. However, to complete this knowledge base, a system of concepts is needed. This scientific initiation project intends to organize such conceptual structure based on a Terminology theoretical scope, in order to fill this gap. From the methodological point of view, the work will be performed considering three previous resources: textual corpus of Agroecology; list of terms extracted from this corpus and a controlled vocabulary reference, AGROVOC (aims.fao.org/standards/agrovoc/about), which has been organized by FAO/UN, since the 1980. The system of concepts will be developed in in the virtual free collaborative environment of terminology management "e-Terms" (www.etermos.cnptia.embrapa.br). It is expected that the results of this research could add value and complement Embrapa´s Knowledge Organization Systems, facilitating the recovery of information and subsidizing decision-making processes concerning public policy that have sustainable agriculture as social, economic and environmental goals.