THE KNOWLEDGE OF WOMEN SEED COLLECTORS: MUVUCA AS A SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL ECOLOGY FROM AN ETHNOMATHEMATICAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

This article stems from reflections on the results of a master's research project conducted with women seed collectors in the Bambu Community, part of the Bordolândia Sustainable Development Project, linked to the Xingu Seed Network Association, in the municipality of Serra Nova Dourada/MT. Based on these results, the study sought to understand, from an ethnomathematical perspective, how the knowledge and practices of these women collectors are articulated in the processes of identification, selection, storage, transport, and commercialization of seeds. The methodology consisted of an ethnographic approach, as it sought to experience daily life in the field and observe the collection and collective management of the inhabited environment. The information generated was recorded in field notebooks, voice recorders, and digital cameras for photographs and videos during unstructured interviews, which fostered spontaneous dialogues with the group. This research demonstrated that the work of the seed collectors constitutes a way of valuing native knowledge that enriches the culture and strengthens the struggles for permanence on the land. Through the Muvuca technique, women plant forests, and sow life within their communities. It was also evident that the knowledge they practice constitutes a collective, self-sustaining, and economically viable process.