Moringa oleifera Lam, characteristics and potential uses

a sustainable alternative for the development of small rural communities

Abstract

This paper intends to contextualize alternative production strategies and conservation of available natural resources, relating the characteristics and uses of Moringa oleifera Lam in ecologically based agriculture around the premise of sustainability. The aim is to contextualize the main characteristics of the species and their potential use through theoretical revision. Thus, when describing the Moringa's importance in the agroecology context in small rural communities, it is intended to argue the relevance of the species, aiming at maintaining and preserving popular knowledge, the families's sovereignty  in the sustainability scope. In this context, this review presents information on M. oleifera, highlighting its chemical, nutritional, ecological and potential components in agroecological-based agriculture. The sustainable use of the moringa is essential for the preservation of biodiversity and its cultivation is basically a development program whose objective is centered on the concept of sustainability.