Independence Seeds: Knowledge and Seed Exchange Fairs in Maranhão

Abstract

According to data from the last Agricultural Census, Maranhão is the third state with the highest concentration of farming families in the Northeast region and the fifth in the country. Of the 219,765 agricultural establishments in Maranhão, 187,118 were classified as family farming, which corresponds to 85% of the total in the state.One of the obstacles for family farmers in Maranhão, when it comes to establishing their plantations, is the acquisition of quality seeds, compatible with the aptitude of each family and at the correct time for planting. Since seed is an expensive input considering the purchasing power of these families, they end up becoming dependent on public seed distribution policies. One way that the Secretariat of State for Family Agriculture of Maranhão - SAF has been seeking to minimize this problem is by encouraging the rescue, multiplication and use of Creole seeds, making the family farmer the producer of his own seeds. One of the tools used for this was the holding of Seeds and Knowledge Exchange Fairs, 11 fairs were held, 3 being exclusively indigenous and 1 quilombola, with an average of 60 participants at each fair, where farmers had access to varieties they did not know, to others that they had already lost, and to the knowledge involving each one.