Territory, local knowledge and land use in the quilombola community of Malhada Grande - North of Minas Gerais.

O contexto socioambiental e científico tem enfatizado a importância da realização de estudos interdisciplinates e etnocientíficos, visando a análise integrada da realidade. Nesse sentido, a associação de uma abordagem territorial com a Etnopedologia permite uma ampla visão sobre o uso do solo, o saber local e as demandas locais, constituindo-se como importante ferramenta para a atuação junto a comunidades rurais, que deve ser explorada. Este trabalho investigou o saber local sobre os solos e o uso do solo de uma comunidade integrante do Quilombo Gurutuba, localizada em Malhada Grande (Catuti Norte de MG). Os principais objetivos do trabalho, voltados para a compreensão do uso e ocupação do solo, foram: relacionar o saber local sobre geoambientes e solos ao saber científico; avaliar a aptidão agrícola dos solos coletados e analisá-la em relação ao uso do solo praticado; relacionar as mudanças no uso do solo com as transformações ocorridas na territorialidade local. A metodologia consistiu em: levantamento do histórico de uso do solo e do saber local sobre geoambientes e solos, turnês-guiadas, entrevistas semi-estruturadas, coleta e tradagem dos solos identificados, bem como descrição e análise química e física dos solos coletados. Também foram realizados o Mapeamento participativo dos geoambientes e do uso do solo, a avaliação e mapeamento da aptidão agrícola dos solos e a articulação entre saber local (emicista) e científico (eticista). Na estratificação ambiental local foram identificados três macroambientes, Alto, Alta e Baixa, que correspondem, respectivamente, ao topo, à encosta e à planície de inundação. Esses foram subdivididos em geoambientes, distintos em função de um sistema local de classificação dos solos, baseado principalmente na cor, textura e consistência do solo. Esses ambientes foram interpretados pedogeomorfologicamente originando uma chave de identificação pedogeoambiental, na qual foram identificadas as seguintes classes: Altos com Terra vermelha/ Topos aplainados com Latossolo Amarelo distrófico argissólico e Argissolo Vermelho-Amarelo; Baixios do Alto com Barro branco duro/ Depressões de topo com Plintossolo Argilúvico; Furados com Barro branco mais duro/ Depressão endorréica com Plintossolo Argilúvico eutrófico abrúptico e Planossolo Háplico; Altas com Terra branca/ Encostas pedimentadas com Neossolo Quartzarênico órtico típico; Baixios da Alta com Barro branco/ Depressões da encosta com Plitossolo Argilúvico; Capões com Terra branca mais cultura/ Cordões arenosos com Neossolo Regolítico; Vargens com Barro escuro duro/ Planícies fluviais parcialmente inundáveis com Planossolos Háplico eutrófico solódico e Plintossolo Háplico; Vazantes com Terra Preta/ Planície fluvial inundável com Plintossolo Háplico eutrófico típico; Neossolo Flúvico e Gleissolo Háplico. Os solos analisados foram, em sua maioria, eutróficos, exceto o Latossolo e o Neossolo Quartzarênico. A geologia Coberturas Detrícicas refletiu-se na fração granulométrica dos solos, com predomínio de areia fina e areia grossa e da textura areiafranca ou média. O clima da região, que confere menor intemperismo químico, favorece a conservação de Ca2+ e Mg2+ no complexo de troca, presença de argila de alta atividade (Planossolo e Plintossolo) e altos valores de relação silte/argila. Os principais elementos que orientam o uso e ocupação do solo são: sazonalidade climática; oferta de água, terra, mão de obra e renda e distância do geoambiente da moradia. O uso do solo se concentra na encosta, com quintais agroflorestais, cultivos anuais e pastagem; uma vez que no topo a escassez de água limita o uso a pastagem e a planície de inundação pode ser usada somente na seca. Os principais fatores de limitação à aptidão agrícola das terras foram restrição hídrica e deficiência de oxigênio. A maioria dos solos apresentou aptidão para pastagem, sendo o Plintossolo da Vazante o único com aptidão para lavoura. O uso do solo, no geral, segue os critérios considerados pelo sistema de avaliação da aptidão, mas é definido em função da oferta de recursos e da necessidade de produzir e obter o autoconsumo. O conhecimento local, estruturado a partir da experiência agrícola, apresentou-se muito vasto e possui grande correspondência com o científico. A pressão antrópica sobre os solos não se deve à falta de conhecimento. Ela tem sido provocada e enfatizada pela escassez de terra e adoção de atividades voltadas para o mercado. A reestruturação da territorialidade da comunidade decorreu da expropriação de terra, da modernização, da intensificação da escassez de água e da degradação do solo e da vegetação. A redefinição do uso e ocupação do solo, referente às atividades produtivas, à produtividade, ao uso comunal dos recursos, etc., foi essencial para a permanência da comunidade no território.The environmental and scientific context has emphasized the importance of realizing interdisciplinary and ethnoscientific studies that offer an integrated analysis of reality. In this sense, the association of a regional approach to ethnopedology allows for a broad study about the use of the land, the local knowledge, and the local demands, resulting in an important tool, which should be explored, for working with rural communities. This study has investigated the local knowledge about soils and the use of land of a community member of Quilombo Gurutuba, located in Malhada Grande (Catuti - North MG) in order to understand the land use and occupation. The main objectives of this research were to relate local knowledge about soils and geoenvironment to scientific knowledge, to evaluate the agricultural potential of the collected soils and to relate it to the land use which is practiced, and to relate changes that have occurred in land use with changes in territoriality. The methodology consisted of a survey of historical land use and local knowledge about soils and environments, guided-tours, semi-structured interviews, as well as the collection of soil samples for description and chemical and physical analyses. Were also performed participatory mapping of geoenvironments and land use, evaluation and mapping of soils and agricultural potential, which was analyzed in relation to the land use, and, articulation between local knowledge (emicist) and scientific knowledge (ethicist). Local environmental stratification identified three macroenvironments, High, High (hill) and Low, which correspond, respectively, to the top, the hillside and the fluvial plain. These were subdivided into microenvironments, in other words, geoenvironments based in a local system of soil classification, which is based mainly on color, texture, and consistency. These environments were pedogeomorfologicaly interpreted yielding a edogeoambiental identification key, in which were identified the following classes: Altos com Terra vermelha/ Flattened tops with Oxisol and Argissol; Baixios do Alto com Barro branco duro/Top s depressions with Plinthosol; Furados com Barro branco mais duro/ Endoreic depression with Plinthosol and Planosol; Altas com Terra branca/Slopes with Neosol; Baixios da Alta com Barro branco/Slope s depressions with Plinthosol; Capões com Terra branca mais cultura/Sandy barrier with eutrophic Neosol; Vargens com Barro escuro duro/Partially flooded fluvial plain with Planosols and Plinthosol; Vazantes com Terra preta/Flooded fluvial plain with Plintossolo, Neosol and Gleysol. The analyzed soils were mostly normal except for the Oxisol and Neosol. Most soils were eutrophic. The geology consisting of clayish and sandy covers was reflected in the particle size fraction of soils. The climate, which provides lower chemical weathering, favors the retention of Ca2+ and Mg2+ on the exchange complex, the presence of high activity clay, and high values of silt/clay ratio. The main elements that guide the land use and occupation were the seasonal climate, water supply, land, labor and distance of the geoenvironment in relation to home. The land use focuses on the hillside, where there are homegardens, annual crops, and pasture, once that water scarcity limits the use of land at the top as pasture and that floodplain can be used only in dry season. The main factors limiting the ability of agricultural lands were water scarcity and oxygen deficiency. Most soils showed suitability for grazing, and the Vazante Plinthosol was the only one with the ability to crop. Land use, in general, followed the criteria considered by the evaluation system of land suitability, but it was defined based on the supply of resources and the need to produce and obtain self-sufficiency. Local knowledge, which was obtained from the agricultural experience, appeared very large and it greatly matched scientific knowledge. It was concluded that the human pressure on the land is not due to lack of knowledge. It has been caused and enhanced mainly with the scarcity of land and the adoption of market-oriented activities. The restructuring of the community s territoriality was caused by expropriation of land, modernization, intensification of water scarcity, and degradation of soil and vegetation. The redefinition of the use and occupation of land was essential for the community s remaining in the territory.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológic

Advancing the inclusion of indigenous and local knowledge in policy : towards legitimate and effective assessment and planning

This thesis aims to understand how to advance the legitimacy and effectiveness of processes and outcomes of environmental policies which aim to include Indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) together with scientific knowledge. This inclusion is considered important in view of Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLC)’s needs and their contributions – via ILK and practices – to sustainability and biodiversity conservation. Practitioners have included ILK in assessments and planning of natural resource management and governance with IPLC, by means of knowledge integration and co-production processes which draw on frameworks such as ecosystem services (ES), nature’s contributions to people (NCP), and adaptive collaborative management (ACM). While these processes aim to result in outcomes that are considered legitimate and effective by its different participants, they often fail to do so. It has proven to be challenging for science and policy actors to recognize the diversity of knowledge systems in a non-hierarchical and non-dichotomized way; to bridge diverse worldviews that enable the relational addressing of people and nature; and to overcome uneven power relations during participatory processes in practice. The thesis applies an ethnoecological and action-research approach and draws on concepts from social-ecological systems, science and technology studies, and geography to addresses two case studies: a Brazilian (semi-arid) maroon community and an (Amazon) Indigenous people and REDD+ policy. The thesis has resulted in three published articles, in Geoforum (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2019.02.005), Ecosystems and People (https://doi.org/10.1080/26395916.2020.1722752) and Environmental Science & Policy (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2020.04.018)

Deciphering landscapes through the lenses of locals: The “Territorial Social-Ecological Networks” Framework applied to a Brazilian maroon case

Landscape approaches are prominent in current policy debates about how to achieve ecological, economic and social sustainability. These approaches assess local social-ecological contexts to plan adaptive management and often include indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLC). An important aim of landscape approaches is to integrate different scientific disciplines, indigenous and local knowledge systems (ILK) and Western science, and global and local needs. In practice, such integration tends to favor globalized knowledge models and global needs over local ones. This article introduces a Territorial Social-Ecological Networks (TSEN) Framework for an integrated assessment of landscape settings and dynamics to overcome such tendencies. We argue that both scientific knowledge and ILK are entwined with practice and informed by worldviews. Moreover, these assemblages of knowledges-practice-worldviews are produced by social and ecological interrelations (or networks) that shape human appropriation of territory. We use an approach of methodological bricolage to apply the TSEN Framework to the case of the Brazilian Malhada Grande Maroon Territory. The results highlight how social-ecological networks of different space-time scales co-produce landscapes. Trade-offs and synergies between global and local needs are also discussed and used to identify priority needs that can be addressed by a landscape approach in the area. The analysis suggests that the TSEN Framework may be used by both scientists and practitioners to perform environmental assessments that are inclusive of social and ecological disciplines, of local and Western scientific knowledge, and of global and local needs in a landscape.</p

Ethnopedology of a quilombola community in Minas Gerais: Soils, landscape, and land evaluation

Quilombolas are Afro-brazilian rural peasants who descended from escaped slaves who tried to carve out territories of autonomy (called Quilombos) by collective organization and resistance. Despite many anthropological and ethnopedological studies, little research has been carried out to identify the agricultural practices and the knowledge of people who live in the Quilombos (Quilombolas). Peasant communities who live from land resources have wide empirical knowledge related to local soils and landscapes. In this respect, ethnopedology focuses on their relationship with local practices, needs, and values. We carried out an ethnopedological evaluation of the soils, landscape and land suitability of the Malhada Grande Quilombola Territory, aiming to examine the local criteria involved in land-use decision making, and evaluate the legitimacy of local knowledge. For this purpose, participatory workshops allowed environmental stratification of the Quilombolas into landscape units, recognition of soil types, and evaluation of land-use criteria. This approach was combined with conventional soil sampling, description, and analysis. The Brazilian System of Soil Classification and its approximations to the WRB/FAO system and the SAAT land evaluation system were compared with the local classificatory systems, showing several convergences. The Quilombolas stratified the local environment into eight landscape units (based on soil, topography, and vegetation) and identified eight soil types with distinct morphological, chemical, and physical attributes. The conventional soil survey identified thirteen soil classes, in the same eight landscape units, organized as soil associations. The apparent contradictions between local knowledge and Pedology were relative since the classification systems were established based on different criteria, goals, and sampling references. Most soils are only suitable for pasture, with restricted agricultural use, due to water or oxygen deficiencies. The current land use was only inconsistent with the technical recommendations when socioecological constraints such as the semiarid climate, land availability, and economic conditions for land management led to overuse of the land. Local knowledge demonstrated its legitimacy and allowed a useful and fruitful exchange of information with the academic view of soil-landscape interplays. Although mostly unknown by the scientific community, local knowledge proved capable of achieving social welfare and food security. In addition, a participatory survey proved to be a core factor for more grounded and detailed data collection on how Quilombolas decide land use on a local scale

Ethnopedology of a Quilombola Community in Minas Gerais: Soils, Landscape, and Land Evaluation

ABSTRACT Quilombolas are Afro-brazilian rural peasants who descended from escaped slaves who tried to carve out territories of autonomy (called Quilombos) by collective organization and resistance. Despite many anthropological and ethnopedological studies, little research has been carried out to identify the agricultural practices and the knowledge of people who live in the Quilombos (Quilombolas). Peasant communities who live from land resources have wide empirical knowledge related to local soils and landscapes. In this respect, ethnopedology focuses on their relationship with local practices, needs, and values. We carried out an ethnopedological evaluation of the soils, landscape and land suitability of the Malhada Grande Quilombola Territory, aiming to examine the local criteria involved in land-use decision making, and evaluate the legitimacy of local knowledge. For this purpose, participatory workshops allowed environmental stratification of the Quilombolas into landscape units, recognition of soil types, and evaluation of land-use criteria. This approach was combined with conventional soil sampling, description, and analysis. The Brazilian System of Soil Classification and its approximations to the WRB/FAO system and the SAAT land evaluation system were compared with the local classificatory systems, showing several convergences. The Quilombolas stratified the local environment into eight landscape units (based on soil, topography, and vegetation) and identified eight soil types with distinct morphological, chemical, and physical attributes. The conventional soil survey identified thirteen soil classes, in the same eight landscape units, organized as soil associations. The apparent contradictions between local knowledge and Pedology were relative since the classification systems were established based on different criteria, goals, and sampling references. Most soils are only suitable for pasture, with restricted agricultural use, due to water or oxygen deficiencies. The current land use was only inconsistent with the technical recommendations when socioecological constraints such as the semiarid climate, land availability, and economic conditions for land management led to overuse of the land. Local knowledge demonstrated its legitimacy and allowed a useful and fruitful exchange of information with the academic view of soil-landscape interplays. Although mostly unknown by the scientific community, local knowledge proved capable of achieving social welfare and food security. In addition, a participatory survey proved to be a core factor for more grounded and detailed data collection on how Quilombolas decide land use on a local scale

Hydropedology of a High Tableland with Cerrado, Brazilian Central Plateau: the Frutal Catchment Case Study

<div><p>ABSTRACT: Currently, the Brazilian savanna (Cerrado) represents the main agricultural area of the country, comprising a great variety of landscapes and soils, geological formations and vegetation patterns, as well as the major watershed. We studied the hydropedology and morphometry of a representative catchment (Frutal river), on a high tableland (Chapada) in the Triângulo Mineiro region, Brazil, describing the soil-water-landscape relationships to understand land use and water resources. To this end, we applied physical, chemical, micromorphological, and morphometric methods. When dry, compaction was observed in well-structured Ferralsols (Latossolos) with medium texture under intensive agriculture, reducing the water recharge capacity. The soil carbon stock was highest in hydromorphic savannas (veredas), reaching an organic matter content of 316.8 g kg-1 in the studied Umbric Gleysols, representing poorly drained lowlands. Physical and micromorphological properties were relevant parameters to understand the water recharge in soil; in agricultural fields, bulk density tended to increase and hydraulic conductivity to decrease, particularly under long-term sugarcane; morphometric parameters in the Frutal catchment indicated a low flooding risk and high flow capacity. This reinforces the need for soil conservation strategies to enhance water infiltration and groundwater recharge, with a view to maintain the water longer in the catchment. For surface water dynamics, slope morphology is an important property, affecting soil erosion, water retention and crop productivity.</p></div

The science-policy interface on ecosystems and people: challenges and opportunities

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