This work addresses the coexistence of forests with agricultural environments in two areas of the Atlantic Forest in Southeastern Brazil. One is located on Ilha Grande (South coast of the State of Rio de Janeiro) with almost 100% of forest cover, most of which was previously cultivated by caiçaras. The other area is the Pedra Branca Massif (in the West Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro), also covered by secondary forests where there are still some crops. In the latter, we studied the farmers’ relationship with the city's growth dynamics. In both cases, the conflicts and peculiarities arising from the coexistence of protected areas with small agricultural communities and the consequences related to the Atlantic Forest dynamics are examined. The recording of these experiences, by means of a long-term interdisciplinary perspective on landscape, can bring new approaches to the processes of co-evolution of human societies with the natural environment.