The National University of San Martín (UNSAM) has begun a new stage of collaborative work linked to agroecology, with the promotion of the Agroecological Territorial Node (NAT) San Martín.
A proposal that seeks to articulate existing projects, strengthen university participation, and build new shared agendas around sustainable production, environmental education, and food sovereignty.
The initiative arose from an invitation received from the National Network of Municipalities and Communities that Promote Agroecology (RENAMA), and is driven by an interdisciplinary team of professors, researchers, and extensionists from UNSAM.
What is an Agroecological Territorial Node?
The NATs are spaces for intersectoral and interinstitutional articulation designed to:
- Recognize and strengthen agroecological activities
- Link community, productive, and academic actors
- Identify common axes of work and territorial construction
Although they emerged as a public policy through the National Directorate of Agroecology, they currently operate in a self-managed manner, with the support of entities like RENAMA, the Argentine Society of Agroecology (SAAE), and the Heinrich Böll Foundation.
Currently, there are 13 active NATs in different regions of the country, but none in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area, despite the potential of the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires (AMBA) for fruit and vegetable production and consumption and the presence of 15 national universities.
Why San Martín?
The creation of an agroecological node in San Martín aims to:
- Strengthen the articulation between research, teaching, and extension at UNSAM and its Technical High School (EST)
- Generate links with producers, SMEs, cooperatives, and community organizations
- Improve access to healthy, safe, and sovereign food in a district with structural needs
- Promote projects of community gardens and agroecological production for self-consumption
Open call: how to participate
The team promoting the NAT San Martín calls upon the community UNSAM at this stage:
- Students, teachers, administrative staff, and researchers
- People working on agroecological projects or related topics
- Those interested in joining a territorial network of university articulation
The goal is to map actors, initiatives, and lines of work, and begin to outline the shared agendas that shape the node.
Cover photo: UNSAM News
