Ethnoecology and the peasantry of Southwest São Paulo state: traditional practices and environmental knowledge in perspective

Abstract

The Southwest of the state of São Paulo is strongly marked by its family farmers, with their singular economy, history, and traditional culture. This article brings for the first time, to our knowledge, an ethno-ecological record on traditional productive practices and environmental knowledge among rural producers in this region. Informal and semi-structured interviews were applied, in addition to guided walks. Nine families, in the municipalities of Angatuba, Buri and Campina do Monte Alegre, participated in the research, totaling 22 individuals, between men and women, from 27 to 81 years old. An extensive set of local practices and knowledge about soils, vegetation, climate, and agriculture was recorded. The local repertory recorded is discussed from the environmental experience of individuals in their daily life, in the light of other traditional repertories in Brazil, as well as in its interface with formal scientific knowledge. The information presented here may contribute to extension projects with family farmers in the region.