Cultivando autonomia: análise da socioeconomia e agrobiodiversidade no quilombo de Providência, Salvaterra, Ilha do Marajó/PA

Abstract

Traditional Quilombola communities have strategies for maintaining their way of life and reinforcing their cultural identity through traditional productive practices. This study sought to investigate the role of agrobiodiversity in economic and food strategies, recording the traditional knowledge and practices associated with it, as well as its relationship with food sovereignty in the Quilombola community of Providência, Salvaterra, Marajó, Pará state, Brazil. Methodologically, the research took place over sixty days in the months of February, May, July and November of 2019, being authorized by local leaders and the other residents through the signing of the Informed Consent Form. Later interviews were conducted with household representatives, with selection occurring through non-probabilistic sampling. Non-directive interviews were carried out and semi-structured questionnaires were applied with questions on socioeconomic, productive and food aspects, along with participant observation. Data were organized into Microsoft Excel spreadsheets for graphical optimization and, subsequently, diversity and diversity indexes were calculated, along with cultural salience and the community's food profile. Research with 11 heads of household showed that the local productive practices are strongly linked to local religious and food customs and that traditional activities, such as farming, extraction, fishing and animal husbandry, contribute to family income, which is mainly comes from state social benefits. Thus, we can conclude that traditional productive practices are directly related to the local Quilombola culture developed in part through agrobiodiversity, also expressed in faith, religiosity, historical heritage, as well as in daily life and in group's food preferences.