Resumen

TYRTANIA, Leonardo. Sustainability belongs to those who work for it. Cultura representaciones soc [online]. 2016, vol.10, n.20, pp.59-109. ISSN 2007-8110.

The utopia of a sustainable world might be necessary in order to discuss the pressing issues that the contemporary environmental crisis poses. However, to make sustainability locally feasible, it should be dealt with at the level of an agro-ecosystem designed for that purpose. Is there a theoretical model available for that design? This essay explores the implications of Adam's theory on social synergies for the study of food production systems. Sustainability is possible as the result of the co-evolution of different reproductive systems that interact inside an inclusive system, the social system, outside of which it cannot happen. "Sustainability" is an essentially anthropocentric concept. It can be defined as food production to a minimum dissipation rate compatible with the capacities of the environment. A study of sustainability should be able to state a suitable pace for the extraction of energy from an agro-ecosystem, how many people can live on it, and for how long it can be done. The answer to these questions depends on the quality of life that the concerned population demands. The rules of the game change above the level of mere biological survival. The bigger the consumption, the bigger the demand of intensive production systems. Evolution does not point towards any direction although occasionally it may seem to point towards a growing complexity. Food production systems also take part in this game, in which variety represents the "raw material" for selection. The evolution of the biosphere is beyond human control. The question is about how much room is left for manoeuvring, i.e., what can a social group do for its own survival without affecting the bases for its exchange with other living beings and other participants of the landscape.

Palabras llave : complexity; energy; evolution; model; sustainability.

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