PEDAGOGICAL AGROECOLOGY AND INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE

Abstract

The development of agroecological work on indigenous lands in the state of Mato Grosso is a necessary social demand to guarantee the recovery of degraded areas, to produce healthy food and also to strengthen cultural practices. This text is the result of a project to implement models of Safs (farms) in the Xingu Indigenous Park, whose methodology was based on contributions from anthropology, pedagogy, biology in dialogue with indigenous knowledge and practices. For the implementation and maintenance of the Safs, with an area of 1 hectare each, three courses were held with the participation of 15 indigenous people. The courses were composed of theoretical and practical activities involving indigenous and non-indigenous knowledge about soils, plants, management and uses in food. The results obtained after five years of the project were: the expansion of farms in indigenous lands, the increase in food production, the appreciation of traditional foods and the engagement of young people in work to recover degraded areas with food production