Manejo de variedades tradicionais de milho em comunidades de agricultores familiares no Mato Grosso do Sul

Abstract

Historically, farming communities have been responsible for maintaining agrobiodiversity. Farmers are responsible for the great diversity of cultivated plants, that are the result of management, selection and genetic improvement. However, in the last 100 years, farmers around the world have already lost between 90% and 95% of their agricultural varieties. One of the main causes of this phenomenon is the substitution of traditional varieties for modern cultivars with high yield and narrow genetic base. In this context, there are also the traditional maize varieties cultivated by family farmers (settled of agrarian reform) and indigenous of Kaiowá community, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Considering that the traditional varieties of maize are extremely important for food security and maintenance of the culture of these peoples, this work stems from the need to understand the management of traditional varieties of maize by family farmers in Mato Grosso do Sul in order to offer contributions to the construction of proposals and actions aimed at the conservation of these varieties. For the accomplishment of this study was used qualitative research that had, as instruments, fieldnotes and semi-structured interviews with pre-established script and open questions. The analysis of the management of traditional maize varieties cultivated by family farmers was carried out considering the following stages of development of this crop: the seed; Soil preparation; The planting of corn; Cultural dealings; Selection of germplasm (seed); The harvesting and uses of corn and the storage of germplasm (seed). In this sense, the SWOT matrix (in Portuguese: FOFA) was used to identify the Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses and Threats present in this management. Through this work, it was possible to verify the presence of eight traditional varieties of maize in the familiar production units visited. However, for these varieties to be conserved along with their cultivation practices and the way of life of family farmers, there is still a long way to go, which involves the construction of a technical-scientific proposal focused on the reality of these farmers, and Consolidation of public policies and specific legislation.