LAUSR

Abstract The purpose of this article is to present and analyse the role of urban agriculture as an activity capable of transforming food production and consumption in order to guarantee a better quality of life for producers and consumers in the city of Sao Paulo, the largest Brazilian metropolis. In this article, we will highlight the possibilities of socio-spatial transformation of urban agriculture in the metropolis and present the political-institutional challenges identified for the first decades of the 21st century. To this end, two distinct but complementary practices will be the focus of the analysis: peri-urban agriculture, historically relevant for the supply of food to the local population and for the generation of income to small farmers; and intra-urban agriculture, represented by community gardens resulting from activist initiatives (including community engagement). These intra and peri-urban practices establish new food paradigms, among which the following stand out in Sao Paulo: their educational and commercial role; the enactment of new public policies; solidary economy networks and markets; and the spreading of the theory and practice of agroecological food.