(De)institutionalising Agroecology: A Historical-Relational-Interactive Perspective on the Evolution of Brazil’s Agri-Environmental State

A key debate in the literature on the agroecology movement relates to the role of the state in promoting—or institutionalising—agroecology. On one hand, state actions are seen as necessary to enforce rules that minimise negative agri-environmental externalities, incentivise agroecological production, and support farmers during agroecological transitions. On the other, social movements and scholars articulate concerns over the potential co-optation of transformative approaches to agroecology by political and economic elites, as well as the risks associated with losing movement power (demobilisation) once policy gains are made. We investigate this tension in Brazil, where decades of social movement and civil society advocacy led to the institutionalisation of agroecology-related programming and policy, particularly under the 2003–2010 administration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (“Lula”). However, subsequent government administrations have begun to systematically dismantle this institutional infrastructure. Drawing on Schiavoni's HRI framework and literature on the environmental state, we assess how historical processes, paradigms, and key actors have contributed to the institutionalisation and de-institutionalisation of agroecology in the Brazilian context.