Mulheres na aquicultura: um estudo de caso no arquipélago do Marajó, Brasil

Abstract

The participation of women in different areas of society is important for human reproduction and the development of various economic, social and cultural activities. The objective of this study was to reflect on woman participation in aquaculture in the Marajó archipelago (Pará - Brazil). The study was based on reports from five women who practice fish farming in the municipality of Curralinho, in March 2020. This methodology was the result of an extension project “Transfer of technology through training and technical assistance for fish farmers of tambaqui, Colossoma macropomum, in the archipelago of Marajó/PA”, from the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Pará (IFPA) Campus Breves. We observed that the creation of tambaqui in the region is also practiced by women, for subsistence. They have approximately 2 years of experience with fish farming. Most aquaculture companies are between 18 and 66 years old, have 2 to 4 children, with elementary education and are not part of any social organization. The training course on Good Management Practices in Fish Farming (BPM) aimed at strengthening the activity for the female group. In conclusion, women are protagonists of their own history and are present in the aquaculture universe, being important figures in the productive context in Marajó, Eastern Amazon.

The role of women in artisanal fishing on the Oléria River, Marajó archipelago, Brazil

“…This practice presents low profit and income, but contributes to the food security of local families. Costa et al (2020), highlight the importance of training courses in fishing and aquaculture, for women in Marajó. Such courses can contribute to increase the productivity of these peoples and to ensure their food sovereignty.…”

“…While men generally focus on one or two activities, such as fishing and agriculture in Marajó. This means that there is an increase in the working hours of these women in order to be able to carry out productive and unproductive activities (Costa et al, 2020).…”

“…For Martins & Alvim (2016), fishing is an activity that has been carried out predominantly by men. However, this is not the reality of all regions, it only shows the Brazilian social imaginary, in which this activity predominates the male gender.In the Marajó archipelago (state of Pará, Brazil), this imagery is present in most municipalities and ends up making women who also practice fishing and aquaculture invisible (Costa et al, 2020). Through preliminary evaluations, we noticed that in the municipality of Breves there is the fishing of Amazonian shrimp, Macrobrachium amazonicum (Heller, 1862) and tambaqui, Colossoma macropomum (Cuvier, 1818), in several rural communities, such as Santo Antônio, on the river Oléria.…”

“…It is worth considering that these aquatic organisms are also fished by women in Marajó. Although their activities are not recognized as work, many Marajoara women engage in fishing in the Amazon (Oliveira & Florentino, 2018;Costa et al, 2020;Silva et al, 2020). Thus, such activities that they carry out range from fishing / breeding, through processing to commercialization.…”

“…It is perceived that the spaces and roles that men and women occupy in this activity can be understood from it. Several studies address the participation of women in activities related to the field, such as: in agriculture (Ball, 2020;Khatri-Chhetri et al, 2020;Tsige et al, 2020), in aquaculture (Martins & Alvim, 2016;Shah & Bukhari, 2019;Gopal et al, 2020;Costa et al, 2020) and in fishing (Silva et al, 2019;Harper et al, 2020;Nunan & Cepić, 2020). Therefore, there is little research on the participation of women in artisanal fishing in Marajó, in the Amazon region.…”