A agroecologia como fe rramenta de fortalecimento d a agricultura familiar no Sítio Utopia, Alagoa Nova, PB Agroecology asa toll for familiar agriculture strengthening in utopia Farm in Alagoa Nova,

Familiar Agriculture is in the middle of the debate about Brazilian agriculture and, besides dealing with some challenges like droughts, it represents a strategic sector for rural development. This agriculture model is considered in several studies, main ly aimed on finding solutions for better environmental and economic results. Based on this, this study aimed to analyze the methods adopted by agriculturist for dealing with droughts, taking on Agroecology principles. The chosen methodology was active obse rvation of the agroecological experiences in Utopia Farm, in Alagoa Nova Town (Paraiba State, Brazil) through a supervised internship visit by coordinators and students of graduation from Universidade Estadual da Paraiba, Lagoa Seca campus , in November 201 3. The results show that the agroecological handling is an effective tool for a positive dealing with drought periods in this region.