Traditional knowledge and impact of salinization in agricultural communities from north of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

Abstract

This present work regards to the traditional knowledge of the family farmers in connection with the salinization of both the water bodies and the soil in the Açu district, municipality of São João da Barra, in the state of Rio de Janeiro – Brazil and the feasibility of the agriculture in the face of the installation of the Industrial Logistical Complex of the Açu Port – CLIPA. By means of ethnography, fifty interviews were carried out with local farmers. The interferences on the family farming described by the interviewed farmers are mainly related to the salinization of the water bodies and soil caused by the installation of CLIPA and also to the financial matters arising out of the loss of the crops. The continuity of the activity in the region may be compromised because of the growing intensity of the salinization after the installation of the aforementioned enterprise. Public policies should be planned with the participation of the local communities, the government, the private institutions responsible for the CLIPA and the research institutions of the region, in order to maintain the social, cultural and economic practices carried out in such district.