A formação do nutricionista e a abordagem dos sistemas agroalimentares sustentáveis

Abstract

This doctoral thesis analyzes the professional education of nutritionists from the perspective of sustainable agri-food systems, considering the interrelationships between food production, human health, environmental processes, and public policies. The study was conducted through three complementary investigations: an integrative review of documentary research focused on academic curricula and general professional training in Nutrition; a national analysis of Pedagogical Course Projects (PCPs) of in-person Nutrition programs; and a case study in the Metropolitan Region of Belém, which included the analysis of PCPs and the assessment of graduating students’ knowledge. The findings indicate that content related to agriculture, environmental sustainability, agri-food systems, hegemonic production models, and their socio-environmental impacts is limited, fragmented, and weakly structured within the analyzed curricula. There is insufficient problematization of the connections between food production systems, social inequities, environmental changes, and health and disease processes. This gap constrains the development of professional competencies required to critically analyze food systems, propose sustainable solutions, and support new agri-food logics, as well as to engage in the formulation and articulation of food and nutrition-related public policies. The study concludes that strengthening the integration of sustainable agri- food systems in Nutrition education is essential to enhance professional practice in addressing contemporary challenges related to human and collective health.