Identificação, trocas e usos de variedades de cacau (Theobroma Cacao) associados aos conhecimentos tradicionais de agricultores familiares nos municípios de Tomé-Açu e Irituia, Pará

Abstract

This research aims to understand the origin, use and circulation of ovarieties of cocoa (Theobroma cacao) in Agroforestry Systems (AFS) in Tomé-Açu (PA) and Irituia (PA), associated with the traditional knowledge of family farmers. The production system adopted by traditional communities is undergoing a productive transition process, where many family farmers are migrating to systems guided by technological packages, introducing hybrid and clonal varieties, and agricultural defensives. Thus, the research sought to understand the interrelation of traditional knowledge associated with the identification of the origin, use, and exchange of cocoa and how it strengthens the maintenance of AFS in the studied region. Interviews were conducted with farmers from the municipalities of Tomé-Açu and Irituia who cultivate cocoa in agroforestry systems with different productive arrangements to identify the presence of clonal, hybrid, and native varieties of cocoa. The forms of circulation of varieties involve differentiated arrangements at multiple scales, at the local, municipal, and state levels. The identification of cocoa, guided by the traditional knowledge of family farmers, is based on characteristics such as fruit pigmentation, shell shape, seeds, and flavor. Family nuclei have a predominance of migratory origin from the northeastern region of the country and other regions of Pará Amazon. Labor is family-based, and cocoa cultivation is primarily associated with other cultivars present in the AFS, contributing to Amazonian sustainability.