المنتدى العالمي المعني بالأمن الغذائي والتغذية

أسهم هذا العضو في:

    • Promoting community management of underutilized tropical fruit genetic resources in Brazil: in situ conservation strategies and good practices for the mangaba

      In 2003, in order to promote research, conservation and use of fruit species, the Ministry of the Environment in Brazil prioritized native species of current and potential economic value through a project called Plants for the Future involving research institutions, educational and non-governmental organizations.

      Research covered various scientific disciplines, but did not include in situ conservation or the role of traditional communities in the management of biodiversity in natural habitats. Studies on good practices for managing Brazilian native fruits are scarce and the information available focuses mainly on post-harvest and processing activities. Research efforts on sustainable management of resources, especially in natural habitats, are rare.

      Despite the dearth of information generally, one traditional group from the North and Northeast of Brazil who continue to manage Brazil’s wild plant resources has been widely studied: the ‘catadoras de mangaba’ (mangaba women pickers). Information has been gathered on the resources that they use to feeding, to survive, how they access and manage them, their habitats, related national legislation, labour, gender, sociability and exploitation of raw materials.

      Mangaba (Hancornia speciosa Gomes) occurs naturally in open vegetation areas such as the coastal tablelands and lowlands and savannahs of Brazil. It is also found in Paraguay, Peru and Bolivia. The trunk of the tree is used for the extraction of latex for medicinal purposes. The fruit is a source of protein and iron. It has a delicious taste and colour and is used in agribusiness for making juices, sweets and ice creams.

      In 2003, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) started work on the conservation, characterization and use of mangaba in the Northeast region of Brazil noting that the mangaba pickers, who were mainly women, were de facto responsible for conservation of mangaba in the areas identified. These women had accumulated significant knowledge concerning the management, reproduction and post-harvest activities of this fruit (Mota and Silva Júnior, 2003; Silva Júnior et al., 2006).

      Despite the market demand for mangaba, it is overwhelmingly threatened by destruction of its natural habitats because of the expanding cultivation of sugarcane, coconut, eucalyptus, grassland, corn, cotton and soya beans and real estate development in tourist areas and coastal cities. The mangaba pickers’ livelihoods are further threatened by the increased activity of shrimp farming, which destroys the mangrove ecosystem and drastically reduces mollusc harvesting, another activity carried out by many of the communities concerned.

      To explore how best to sustainably conserve and use mangaba, a team of social and natural scientists was assembled and a large amount of information was generated about the history, mapping, profile and typology of pickers; threats to natural habitats; access to and management of sites; knowledge and endangered traditions; organization of communities; and sale and consumption habits for mangaba (Mota et al., 2011).

      Changes in the mangaba tree habitats and exploitation (economic interests of landowners) and in land use (tourism, agriculture, shrimp production) require efforts to be made for sustainable management and conservation of mangaba. Good practices already exist. Some practices contributing to community harmony are agreed among pickers, such as that each family can collect mangaba, but from different trees; farmers from other locations collecting in areas used for generations by specific groups are not well regarded. Fences on private land are commonly respected, though there are also transgressions, such as collecting fruit without permission from the land owners.

      A set of good practices for conserving mangaba in natural ecosystems was jointly defined through expeditions to different sites, meetings, coaching, training and knowledge sharing among farmers and researchers. According to Mota et al. (2011), good practices are associated with the type of access that women pickers have to private areas or to common lands. The good practices are listed below as sets of recommendations for natural ecosystems, private lands and post-harvest practices.

      In situ conservation and sustainable harvesting of mangaba are closely related to the work of mangaba pickers because of their economic, social and cultural dependency on them. Farmers’ contributions to safeguarding biodiversity and traditional knowledge are critical to valorise, cultivate and use these resources, which in turn will enhance their livelihoods and will sustainably ensure resource availability for future generations. The strategy of linking good management techniques, developed over generations by traditional communities, with scientific knowledge has contributed to the conservation of natural ecosystems of that species and to the valorisation of farmers – especially women – as beneficiaries of public policies for social inclusion.

      This contribution is part of the text published in:

      SILVA JUNIOR, J. F. da; MOTA, D. M. da; BARBIERI, R. L.; ALERCIA, A. 2016. Promoting community management of underutilized tropical and subtropical fruit genetic resources in Brazil. In: STHAPIT, B.; LAMERS, H.; RAO, R.; BAILEY, A. (eds). Tropical fruit tree diversity: good practices for in situ and on-farm conservation. Bioversity International, Roma; Routledge, New York, p. 106-111.

      For more information access:

      MOTA, D.M. da, SILVA JÚNIOR, J.F. da, SCHMITZ, H. and RODRIGUES, R.F. de A. (eds). 2011. A mangabeira, as catadoras, o extrativismo. Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Belém, PA, Brazil; Embrapa Tabuleiros Costeiros, Aracaju, SE, Brazil, 303 p.

      RODRIGUES, R. F. de A.; SILVA JÚNIOR, J. F. da; MOTA, D. M. da; PEREIRA, E. O.; SCHMITZ, H. 2017. Mapa do extrativismo da mangaba em Sergipe: situação atual e perspectivas. Embrapa, Brasília. 56 p. Disponible in: https://www.embrapa.br/en/busca-de-publicacoes/-/publicacao/1085370/mapa-do-extrativismo-da-mangaba-em-sergipe-situacao-atual-e-perspectivas