Rural and urban areas. Country and city. Two poles, two sometimes conflicting realities with difficulties in understanding “the pains and delights” of the other side. In a scenario of exacerbated polarizations everywhere, the Agrolinked movement is born, with the purpose of creating solid and empathetic connections between countryside and city, being a bridge for exchanges, learning, and the promotion of a positive culture of farming activities. On this path, the group’s first major action was held this Tuesday (09), in Campo Verde, Mato Grosso.
The 1st Agrolinked Field Day – Linking Countryside and Town brought together more than 100 ninth grade students, besides teachers, school coordinators, and guests, in a great field class at the Training and Technological Dissemination Center of the Mato-grossense Cotton Institute (IMAmt), the technological branch of the Mato-grossense Association of Cotton Producers (Ampa).
Curious looks on one side, doubts on the other. Lots of questions and lots of attention. From the most restrained to the most effusive personalities, all were immersed in the subjects presented, each one of them arousing the attention of this or that group of students.
João Dalmora, 14 years old, loved everything he saw in the nine stations of the event, but one of them got his full attention. “Everything was very good, but what I liked the most was the robotics part and the use of drones in agriculture,” he said. He also had the opportunity to rework some concepts. “I used to think that basically there was the farmer and people there on the farm to work for him. Today I saw how many professions there are in this activity, there are many”, he commented.
Ana Carolina Irineu, 14, says that because of an uncle who is an agronomist, she has always looked upon the profession with favorable eyes since she was a child. However, until today I had never visited a farm or seen a field up close. “This field day was very good, I liked everything, I learned a lot. What I liked most was the biology part, at the Biological Control station. I am more willing to follow my dreams and be an agronomist one day,” said Ana.
Rogério Silva Fonseca, principal of Jupiara State School, says that the event was very productive even before the field day, because a training session was held to prepare the educational teams from the participating schools and also meetings with the students’ parents. “With everything that was done in preparation for the field day, we expected it to be very good. But we got here and what I can say is that it was much better than we imagined. I am sure it will add good things in the lives of everyone who participated”, said the director.
The program of the 1st Agrolinked Field Day – Connecting the Countryside and the City included visits to nine stations: Diseases and Pests (IMAmt); IMEA Station (about and economy and the agribusiness chain); Technological Innovation (robotics and use of drones); Biological Control (visit to the biofactory); ANDEF Station (overview of agriculture throughout history); Fiação Cooperfibra (stages of cotton from field to industry); IMAmt and Cultura do Algodoeiro (cotton culture and research); Iguaçu Máquinas/John Deere (rural connectivity) and Estação Agroligadas (history of the movement and chat with family of rural producers).
“I am very happy with the realization of this field day, a dream for me. We want unity and integration. We want the differences between countryside and city to result in positive exchanges and learning. Brazil is an agricultural country. Agricultural activities are important in our context, but people in the cities do not always know how these sectors work. We want this barrier – the lack of information – to be gradually eliminated. And we, a movement of women linked to agriculture, are using our strength and sensitivity for this purpose, supported by actions of education and communication with the desire that we can have a society increasingly united and aware”, says Geni Schenkel, founder of the Agroligadas movement.
1st Agroligadas Field Day – Connecting the Countryside and the City had the official sponsorship of FMC, partnership with AMPA, IMAmt, ANDEF, IMEA, Cooperfibra, Cooperverde/Cooperpluma, Iguaçu Máquinas/John Deere and support from Agro Saber, Pipou Consultoria, Caule Criativo and Carandá Propaganda.
Agrolinked, who are they?
The Agroligadas movement is composed of women linked to agriculture and aims to be a bridge between the countryside and society in general, through Education and Communication actions, promoting and encouraging a positive culture of agriculture, as well as learning, closeness, and connections. More than 200 women from all parts of Mato Grosso and also from outside the state are part of the movement, which was created in 2018 and is being structured into working cores in the areas of Communication, Education, Training, Events, and Politics.
