Social identity, local knowledge and adaptive management by traditional communities of the babassu region in Maranhão

Abstract

This paper examines productive strategies of traditional communities, which integrate agriculture and extractive activities in secondary forests of babassu palm in the Mearim Valley, Maranhão State. Underscoring the adaptive nature of agroextractivist practices, the analysis contributes to demystify dichotomies associated with peasant mode of production with regard to the apparent resistance of these communities to livestock. The article examines interpretations, choices and practices in the incorporation of livestock by these farmers. We highlight the need to contextualize the multiple connections involved in the integration of productive activities in complex environmental systems, which in turn redefine the ways in which resource users delimit patterns of perception and management of the natural environment.