The idea of wildness alludes to what is linked to the countryside.
Agreste is that which is linked to the countryside (the rural environment). If we review the etymology of the term, we will notice that this adjective comes from agrestis , a word from the Latin language, according to the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ).
For example: “Fifteen years ago I made the decision to leave the city and since then I have lived in a wild place, dedicated to raising chickens, ducks and other animals” , “I love wild landscapes where you can see the horizon without obstacles” , “Although this is a wild area, you should drive with caution because there are several rural hamlets and schools.”
Wilderness is also used to describe what is rustic , rough or wild : “In my country house we choose a wild decoration” , “These animals live in a wild state and should not be disturbed” , “Don't expect many comforts in this “wild place.”
Negative connotations of the term wild
It is worth noting the negative nuances that some meanings of the dictionary hide in the definition of wild: after explaining that it is a synonym for peasant and that which belongs to the countryside, he associates it with ideas such as rough , rude , rude and lacking in urbanity , which are far from being merely descriptive, but are loaded with an undeniable contempt for what is foreign to the city .
There are millions of people who are born and raised in the countryside; Many of them remain in their homes and take on the tasks of their elders for the rest of their lives. Can we imagine what they feel when they pick up the dictionary to look up the definition of wild for the first time and are faced with such "accusations" ? Surely the idea is fed in them that the city is where progress resides, that peasants are inferior beings and that they deserve the innumerable ridicule to which they are subjected, because they are rude, rude and lacking in civility.
On the other hand, there is animal exploitation, always at the center of wild life, as if veganism did not exist, as if no one had ever proposed respect for all species equally and peaceful coexistence. Many people decide at some point to leave the city to move to the countryside, but not all of them choose to lock up and torture other living beings: the mere objective of breathing fresh air and getting away from stress is enough to validate the decision.
Agreste can be used in a derogatory way associated with rough or rustic.
natural life
If we return to the meanings of the word wild that seem to define it as something negative and think about the ease with which human beings accept animal abuse, dressing it up as livestock production , perhaps we will understand that ignorance is not found in the countryside, but in the minds of those who see it as a means in which violence is legal and necessary to survive.
We can say that a field full of weeds or a field in which flowers have grown without any assistance from humans are wild, and in both cases the concepts of nature and lack of sophistication are confused; But neither weeds nor wildflowers can harm us, unlike smog and garbage on the streets of a big city.
Agreste as a name
In Brazil , Agreste is an area of the Northeast Region that covers areas of Rio Grande do Norte , Paraíba , Pernambuco and Bahia . It is characterized by having scattered, small flora and rocky soil. The inhabitants of Agreste usually dedicate themselves to livestock and agricultural tasks.
The Agreste Foundation , on the other hand, is an NGO that was founded in 1993 in Argentina . Its objective is to work in defense of the environment and promote sustainable development.
Finally, it should be noted that given the link that is usually established between the wild and nature , several companies carry the concept in their name.