The influence of lunar phases: The Empirical Knowledge of the farmers of Rio Pomba’s rural area

Abstract

Astronomical knowledge, notably about the influence of lunar phases, has been guiding traditional
peoples agriculture for millennia. The present work consisted in the rescue of this knowledge
with farmers from Rio Pomba-MG, through the use of semi-structured dialogue methodology.
The majority of the farmers use one of the lunar phases in their agricultural activities.
This knowledge was obtained mainly from their ancestors. All lunar phases are recommended
to plant, although in some cases, as in waning moon, planting tuberous roots is indicated by
some farmers, while others report a smaller yield and a greater incidence of pests. The industrial
agricultural model imposed by the Green Revolution contributed to the marginalization of
this knowledge, causing divergence among the informations, what may cause disbelief. This
demonstrates the importance of deepening this knowledge, allying it to technical-scientific
experimentation.