Saberes ancestrais, alimentação e o processo de envelhecimento de mulheres indígenas do médio Rio Negro/Amazonas: contribuições para pensar as práticas agroecológicas, o bem-estar e a saúde

Abstract

The aim of this research was to analyze the influence of agroecological food production practices and ancestral knowledge on the aging process of indigenous women on the island of Duraka (Camanaus), located in São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Amazonas. Agroecology is understood as a way of life that integrates social, cultural, economic and political dimensions, with the intention of articulating popular and scientific knowledge, promoting a new environmental epistemological path. The research followed a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews complemented by an ethnographic method. Three interviews were conducted with women over the age of 50, all from the Tukano ethnic group, selected by snowball sampling. In addition, the study theoretically analyzed the Traditional Agricultural System of the Rio Negro (and the preservation of ancestral wisdom), seeking to identify its similarities with the cultivation practices carried out by the women of Duraka Island (Camanaus). The contribution of agroecological practices to women's ageing process is wide-ranging, not just limited to working in food production, but extending to building social relationships, exchanging knowledge and strengthening women's role in the community. These practices reflect the knowledge and power of these women who, through the production of resources necessary for social and economic development, consolidate their participation in community decisions, becoming protagonists of local sustainability. The ageing of the indigenous women observed is marked by a series of challenges because, at the same time as preserving their cultural customs, they face contradictory influences from globalization, capitalism, conventional agriculture and religion, as well as the dynamics of intergenerational knowledge transmission. The relationship between agroecology and the aging of the indigenous women of Duraka Island (Camanaus) encompasses multiple aspects of agroecology, including its social, environmental, economic, political, cultural and ethical dimensions, and promotes intercultural dialogue and environmental knowledge related to the local agricultural system.