Um estudo de caso sobre causas e consequências da perda da tradição de produzir, cultivar e consumir alimentos em uma comunidade rural de Pedro II - PI

Abstract

About 10,000 years ago, the human being, albeit in a primitive and limited way, became capable of growing food; over time, man developed tools capable of enhancing his production. Over time, through the development and maintenance of culture, humanity has accumulated knowledge about plants and animals more adapted to the conditions of climate and soil. Nowadays, food production is an important segment of the national economy, because, in addition to being fundamental in the social development of rural regions, the great availability of industrialized products is causing changes in eating habits, making traditional practices stop being carried out and end up being forgotten, causing changes in the way the population eats, bringing cultural and health damages to the population. In this sense, the present work is a case study carried out through a quantitative-qualitative research that will be carried out in a rural community in the city of Pedro II - PI, together with a bibliographic review on knowledge, popular traditions and a vision general information about agricultural activities carried out in the community. The research aimed to evaluate the importance of maintaining traditional knowledge and practices in the production and consumption of food, in order to understand the reasons that cause its loss, as well as to enumerate and evaluate the aspects that contribute to this happening, for this facilitates the understanding and elaboration of actions to contain and/or minimize its impacts. Information was collected through an individual semi-structured interview, followed by observation. In the interview, there were open questions where a question could generate other questions, depending on the answer obtained. A total of 44 families participated in the survey. Based on the data obtained, it was possible to observe that generally those who produce are older people, with low education, who have rooms and assistance programs as their main source of income, and produce only for their own consumption. This happens because the agricultural activities practiced in the community are carried out in a fragile, worn and technologically outdated ecosystem. Small producers face a series of factors that hinder and limit their production, factors such as the lack of a water distribution system in the community, quantity and quality of land available for cultivation, etc., causing changes in habits that bring With direct consequences for the population, mainly in terms of food supply, failing to produce generates an obligation to buy.