Ethnopedology: a worldwide view on the soil knowledge of local people

Barrera‐Bassols, Narciso; Zinck, J. A.

doi:10.1016/s0016-7061(02)00263-x

Cited by 194 publications

(137 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Moreover, the addition, removal, and elutriation as pedogenetic processes were indicated, expressed through the loss of nutrients by run-off from highlands surfaces, and further concentration in the lowlands contributing to soil fertility. The Quilombola's knowledge fulfilled practically all the elements indicated by Barrera-Bassols and Zinck (2003) as relevant and commonly found for the soil class distinctions made by smallholder farmers worldwide (eminently morphological). According to them, the main criteria used in folk knowledge to classify soil are: color (100 %); texture (98 %); consistency (56 %); soil moisture (55 %); organic matter and stoniness, topography, land use, and drainage (from 34 to 48 %); fertility, productivity, structure, soil depth, and temperature (from 2 to 26 %).…”

Section: Counterbalancing Etic and Emic Knowledge To Evaluate The Legmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…Studies done by Barrera-Bassols and Zinck (2003), Vale Júnior et al (2007), and Araújo et al (2013) associate local and classical pedological knowledge about soils, highlighting many agreements between them. Nonetheless, they provide little explanation for the differences between the cognitive systems and the importance of integrating them to better understand the criteria involved in the land-use decision-making process.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ethnopedology of a Quilombola Community in Minas Gerais: Soils, Landscape, and Land Evaluation

Matuk

Schaefer

Simas

et al. 2017

Rev. Bras. Ciênc. Solo

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Quilombolas are Afro-brazilian rural peasants who descended from escaped slaves who tried to carve out territories of autonomy (called Quilombos) by collective organization and resistance. Despite many anthropological and ethnopedological studies, little research has been carried out to identify the agricultural practices and the knowledge of people who live in the Quilombos (Quilombolas). Peasant communities who live from land resources have wide empirical knowledge related to local soils and landscapes. In this respect, ethnopedology focuses on their relationship with local practices, needs, and values. We carried out an ethnopedological evaluation of the soils, landscape and land suitability of the Malhada Grande Quilombola Territory, aiming to examine the local criteria involved in land-use decision making, and evaluate the legitimacy of local knowledge. For this purpose, participatory workshops allowed environmental stratification of the Quilombolas into landscape units, recognition of soil types, and evaluation of land-use criteria. This approach was combined with conventional soil sampling, description, and analysis. The Brazilian System of Soil Classification and its approximations to the WRB/FAO system and the SAAT land evaluation system were compared with the local classificatory systems, showing several convergences. The Quilombolas stratified the local environment into eight landscape units (based on soil, topography, and vegetation) and identified eight soil types with distinct morphological, chemical, and physical attributes. The conventional soil survey identified thirteen soil classes, in the same eight landscape units, organized as soil associations. The apparent contradictions between local knowledge and Pedology were relative since the classification systems were established based on different criteria, goals, and sampling references. Most soils are only suitable for pasture, with restricted agricultural use, due to water or oxygen deficiencies. The current land use was only inconsistent with the technical recommendations when socioecological constraints such as the semiarid climate, land availability, and economic conditions for land management led to overuse of the land. Local knowledge demonstrated its legitimacy and allowed a useful and fruitful exchange of information with the academic view of soil-landscape interplays. Although mostly unknown by the scientific community, local knowledge proved capable of achieving social welfare and food security. In addition, a participatory survey proved to be a core factor for more grounded and detailed data collection on how Quilombolas decide land use on a local scale.

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Section: Counterbalancing Etic and Emic Knowledge To Evaluate The Legmentioning

confidence: 67%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethnopedology of a Quilombola Community in Minas Gerais: Soils, Landscape, and Land Evaluation

Matuk

Schaefer

Simas

et al. 2017

Rev. Bras. Ciênc. Solo

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“…Para el sistema de suelos Miraña, al igual que en la mayoría de clasificaciones tradicionales (van der Hammen, 1992;Ettema, 1994;Vélez & Vélez, 1999;Bandeira et al, 2002;Barrera-Bassol & Zinck, 2003;Tinoco-Ordóñez, 2003), se detectó que las características físicas más importantes utilizadas para diferenciar y nombrar las clases de suelos fueron la textura y el color. La posición fisiográfica, empleada por este grupo solamente para suministrar información sobre la distribución de suelos y que podría denominarse como un criterio de "percepción" de acuerdo con Ettema (1994), ha sido reconocida en otros sistemas tradicionales como un elemento que sí cumple funciones clasificatorias (Dialla, 1993;Vélez & Vélez, 1999).…”

Section: Los Suelosunclassified

“…La investigaciones etnobiológicas han modificado el estereotipo colonial de los pueblos indígenas como irracionales o precientíficos, al documentar el sofisticado conocimiento zoológico (Hunn, 1977;Berlin et al, 1981;Posey, 1981;Da Silva & Nordi, 2002a, b), botánico (Berlin, 1977;Gianno, 1986;Balée, 1989), pedológico (Ribeiro, 1990;Dialla, 1993;Ettema, 1994;Barrera-Bassol & Zinck, 2003;Tinoco-Ordóñez, 2003), astronómico (Ribeiro, 1989) y ecológico (Frechione et al, 1989;Fleck & Harder, 2000;Shepard et al, 2001;Bandeira et al, 2002) de diferentes sociedades tradicionales al rededor del mundo, conocimiento que en muchos casos es comparable con el desarrollado por la ciencia occidental.…”

Section: Introduccionunclassified

Plantas, suelos y paisajes: ordenamientos de la naturaleza por los indígenas Miraña de la Amazonía colombiana

Sánchez

Miraña²,

Duivenvoorden

2007

Acta Amaz.

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RESUMENCon base en información obtenida sobre los nombres de todas las plantas con DAP > 2.5 cm (Diámetro a la Altura del Pecho, medido a una altura de 1.3 m) dentro de 30 parcelas de 0.1 ha cada una, y sobre los suelos, la vegetación y el paisaje a lo largo de 8 transectos (entre 2 y 5 km de longitud cada uno), se describen los aspectos más importantes sobre la taxonomía botánica y el ordenamiento o jerarquización del medio ambiente desde la perspectiva de los Indígenas Miraña de la Amazonía central colombiana. A pesar de la pérdida cultural, algunos pocos ancianos guardan como parte de su tradición oral, los elementos básicos de un sistema complejo de conocimiento de su ambiente natural. Se detectó un alto grado de conocimiento sobre las especies vegetales silvestres, la existencia de sistemas nomenclaturales para éstas y para los suelos, y un reconocimiento organizado de paisajes fisiográficos y tipos de vegetación. PALABRAS-CLAVE:Miraña, Sistemas tradicionales de clasificación, Etnotaxonomía, Etnoecología, Ecología del paisaje. Plants, soils and landscapes: sorting of nature by the Miraña Indians of Colombian Amazon. ABSTRACTWe describe the most important aspects of Miraña's plant taxonomy, and landscape categorization. Data about plants' names (in 30 plots of 0.1 ha), was gathered from all individual plants with DBH > 2.5 cm (Diameter at Breast High, or 1.3 m above ground), and data about soils, forest types and landscapes was gathered from 8 transects of 2-5 km long each. In spite of cultural lost, complex knowledge about natural environment classification, it is present into the oral tradition keep in some elders' mind. We detected a high level of knowledge about wild plants, the presence of nomenclatural systems for plants and soil types, and organized landscapes and forest types systems.

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“…Using an approach to gather farmers and their knowledge, technicians and researchers to evaluate soil quality is an innovative way to create a shared knowledge, and many researchers have identified that this synergism is important (BARRERA-BASSOLS;ZINCK, 2003;BARRIOS et al, 2006;GROSSMAN, 2003;MAIRURA et al, 2007;PAYTON et al, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of soil structure using participatory methods in the semiarid region of Brazil

Araújo¹,

Oliveira²,

Ferreira³

et al. 2013

Rev. Ciênc. Agron.

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-Conservation practices are important in improving the environmental protection of agroecosystems in semiarid regions, as these are considered to be fragile environments. Soil-quality indicators are useful elements in evaluating the impact of some agricultural management practices, and the use of recognized indicators which are able to be measured by farmers is an innovative approach that seeks to integrate both scientific and local knowledge. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of various management practices through indicators of soil quality related to soil structure, in areas of family farming where agroecological consortiums are employed. These indicators were identified as important by the farmers themselves, and methodologies were suggested for field application by the farmers, which were later compared to applications made in the laboratory. The indicators used were penetration resistance of the soil and stability and dispersion of aggregates for areas of agroecological consortium and natural vegetation. It can be concluded that agroecological consortia contribute to the conservation of soil structure and that the involvement of farmers plays an important role in developing research.Key words: Soil structure. Soils -management. Family farm.RESUMO -Práticas conservacionistas são importantes na melhoria da proteção ambiental de agroecossistemas em regiões semiáridas por estes serem considerados ambientes frágeis. Indicadores de qualidade do solo são elementos úteis na avaliação do impacto de algumas práticas de manejo agrícola e a utilização de indicadores reconhecidos e possíveis de serem mensurados por agricultores é uma abordagem inovadora que busca integrar conhecimento científico e local. Este estudo objetivou avaliar o impacto de algumas práticas de manejo em áreas de agricultores familiares que utilizam consórcios agroecológicos através de indicadores de qualidade do solo relacionados à estrutura do solo. Estes indicadores foram apontados como importantes pelos próprios agricultores, sendo propostas metodologias para aplicação em campo por eles mesmos, que foram posteriormente comparadas com aplicações em laboratório. Os indicadores utilizados foram resistência do solo à penetração, estabilidade e dispersão de agregados para áreas sob consórcio agroecológico e vegetação natural. Pode-se concluir que os consórcios agroecológicos contribuem para a conservação da estrutura do solo e o envolvimento dos agricultores é uma importante parte do desenvolvimento da pesquisa.Palavras-chave: Estrutura do solo. Solos-manejo. Agricultura familiar.

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Ethnopedology: a worldwide view on the soil knowledge of local people

Cited by 194 publications

References 19 publications

Ethnopedology of a Quilombola Community in Minas Gerais: Soils, Landscape, and Land Evaluation

Ethnopedology of a Quilombola Community in Minas Gerais: Soils, Landscape, and Land Evaluation

Plantas, suelos y paisajes: ordenamientos de la naturaleza por los indígenas Miraña de la Amazonía colombiana

Evaluation of soil structure using participatory methods in the semiarid region of Brazil

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