Sustainable rural area project: the alliance of permaculture, school environmental education and sustainable management of small rural property

Abstract

This article presents the experience of interaction between higher education and elementary education in the "Sustainable Rural Space Project" as a concrete experience of environmental education, developed by students of the sixth year of the Escola Rural José Paim de Oliveira, with the support of researchers of the Administration and Architecture courses of the Federal University of Santa Maria and of an entrepreneur with experience in permaculture practice. A mock-up of a sustainable rural property, modeled on permaculture principles, was built, which received the first prize of the II Municipal Science, Technology and Sustainability Fair of the Municipal Education Network (RME) of Santa Maria / RS. The study presented a qualitative approach, participant observation and focus group. The results showed the development of the project, the making of the model and the experiences reported by the students. In practical terms, the project contributed to the pedagogical practice in the school and to the possibility of exchange of experiences. In theoretical aspects, we sought to integrate learning theory into acquired knowledge and sustainable experiences, and the insertion of permaculture principles into the sustainable management of a small rural property, revealing the manager's articulation role in the different spheres of society.