Quilombos of black communities, traditional agriculture and agro ecology: the agro ecosystem of Quilombo João Surá and sustainable production

Abstract

In Brazil there are currently 3900 Quilombola communities (CRQs). Much of these communities live in rural areas and agriculture is one of its main activities. This agriculture is largely community based on traditional practices of cultivation thus representing a "locus" for excellence in traditional knowledge of African descent that are rooted in its traditional agriculture (TA). The CRQ João Surá is located in the municipality where they are located Adrianópolis nine Quilombos communities and four traditional black communities. By adopting an epistemology based on multidisciplinarity and constant dialogue with the knowledge and their traditional knowledge and traditional populations Agroecology is seeking new forms of management of agroecosystems. With input from other sciences is proposed to devise and propose models and systems of sustainable agriculture. This paper is results a Master thesis defended in February 2011 at UNICAMP and had hypothesized that the CRQ AT's have to offer contributions to the study of Agroecology. The objective was to meet and establish relationships between TA and interfaces present in the CRQ João Surá, located at Adrianólis - PR, Vale do Ribeira and Agroecology in Paraná state. Worked up with the Qualitative Methodology using mainly the method of oral history. The analysis of production systems João Surá, with respect to water, soil, seeds and cultural managements reveals that TA holds its sustainable production conditions that coincide with the principles of Agroecology.