Agrotóxicos, sementes crioulas e soberania alimentar: uma reflexão sobre sua relação com os agricultores de Castro Alves/BA

Abstract

The conservation and maintenance of creole seeds are fundamental for the security and food sovereignty of the peoples. They are cultivated throughout the generations, passing from father to son and through mass selection processes are adapted to the edaphoclimatic conditions of each region. This way of life has been threatened, mainly due to the advance of monocultures and the devaluation of small farmers. The market for hybrid and transgenic seeds has been expanding among small farmers, causing annual dependence on seed procurement and in parallel, family farmers are losing their genetic heritage, which is the creole seed. This genetic erosion has caused great losses of social genetic heritage and culture. From this context, this work aimed to meet with the residents of the Viração, Riacho da Légua and Cova da Negra communities belonging to the municipality of Castro Alves, BA, so that it was possible to diagnose how the farmers' how these seeds are acquired. In addition, in order to expand the relevance of Creole seeds to the urban area, the subject matter was also discussed at the Dr. Reinaldo Barreto Rosa School, located in the district of Petim located in Castro Alves / BA. This activity was carried out with the students of the 7th grade (morning) and 9th grade (afternoon), in which two questionnaires were distributed concerning the subjects mentioned above to be applied in the locality in order to know the origin of the seeds as well as farmers use agrochemicals in plantations. From the dialogue with the residents of the different communities including the students, it was noticed that most were unaware of the term "creole seeds and food security", but from the socialization they came to understand and recognize some practices already used by them and their neighbors. In spite of this it was possible to identify that some farmers save seeds after harvesting and conserve for a long time. In this way building without awareness a bank of creole seeds, becoming a guardian of the local genetic heritage. Other pertinent diagnostic information was related to the production of vegetables in the backyards that are used in the daily food, some of them using pesticides and chemical fertilizer for their production. From the conversations with the residents of the different communities and the analysis of the questionnaires, it was possible to conclude that most of the family farmers in the municipality of Castro Alves do not perform agroecological practices. In addition, there were no reports of seed exchanges among farmers, and therefore needed interventions to explain the importance of the maintenance of this genetic heritage, which is the creole seeds, so that farmers do not become dependent on the companies that market seeds.