Conhecimento, uso e manejo de plantas alimentícias na terra indígena Poyanawa, Alto Juruá, Acre, Brasil

Abstract

With a vast territory and rich sociobiodiversity, Brazil is currently characterized by integrating 305 indigenous people and countless traditional communities, with a high diversity of agroecosystems and their local characteristics. This biological and cultural heritage of traditional populations, agrobiodiversity, is essential to guarantee the food security and sovereignty of humanity, in the present and in the future. On the other hand, the development model on which our society is based, together with large-scale agricultural production, adds other dimensions: pressure on territories and natural resources, threats to sociobiodiversity and the invisibility of cultural habits of indigenous peoples and traditional communities. The uniformity in the use of resources, influenced by the market and the media, may erodes knowledge and eating habits, passed from generation to generation through orality. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the use and handling of food plants for the food security of the Puyanawa people. Understanding how plants from local agroecosystems contribute to food security is essential, given a scenario where globalized food has strong impacts on traditional food. Through semi-structured interviews, guided tours and food recall, 33 families were interviewed, including 81 individuals, aged between 20 and 102 years old. Were found in the agroecosystems used by the Puyanawa 95 species of food plants, which represents an interesting diversity of vitamins, proteins and minerals. The production of food species has a regular supply throughout the year, with seasonality being one of the factors that ensure this diversification. The plants found in the agroecosystems contribute significantly to the families’ diet, and the vegetables that make up the food base are, in their majority, of internal origin. However, we can note the strong tendency for globalized foods to gain space in daily food, which may compromise health and threaten the food security and sovereignty of the Puyanawa. We believe that the attitude of indigenous peoples in guaranteeing the resilience and conservation of their agricultural practices has a lot to contribute to all humanity. We emphasize the priceless value of agroecosystems and the traditional knowledge associated with food plants for the autonomy and well-being of the peoples of the forest.

Keywords: Acre; indigenous people; agrobiodiversity; food plants; food security.