Agroecology and Empirical Knowledge in Brazilian Quilombol Communities

Abstract

Agroecology has presented itself as an excellent research tool in understanding the countless ways that people relate physically, culturally and spiritually to the environment.However, little attention has been given to ecologically sustainable alternative practices as ways to reduce the impacts generated by traditional production and that cause damage to biodiversity, especially in quilombola (slave-refugee) communities, where the human-plant relationship is very intimate. In this context, the present work aimed to carry out a survey of agroecological practices developed in Brazilian quilombola communities, which are communities where direct descendants of the slaveswho were brought to Brazil, at the time of their colonization by the Portuguese, live. The research consists of a literature review with a qualitative approach, in which articles available on the Google Scholar platform were selected. Thus, in light of the studies analyzed, it was possible to describe agroecological practices present in quilombola communities, such as: Management of heirloom seeds; Use of the moon phases for guidance on plantations; Production of native seedlings, and even verifying the efficiency of the application of participatory methodologies such as Agroecological exchanges in backyards to learn about the practices and limitations encountered by residents in food production.