Agroecology and food security in an amazonian indigenous territory: insights from a participatory intervention

Abstract

This study analyzes the challenges and potentialities of a participatory intervention aimed at the agroecological management of insect pests in the Kaxinawá Nova Olinda Indigenous Territory, Acre State, Brazil, and its implications for local food security. Between 2012 and 2015 (Phase I), insect surveys were conducted in the main Indigenous cropping systems, identifying the maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais), the banana weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus), and leaf-cutting ants (Atta sexdens rubropilosa and Acromyrmex sp.) as key pests. Between 2015 and 2018 (Phase II), theoretical and hands-on workshops were implemented to promote community training in agroecological pest management practices. The findings indicate that the effectiveness of the proposed practices was shaped by sociocultural, logistical, and economic factors, including input availability, local leadership legitimacy, and the continuous presence of the technical team. Greater adoption was observed for low-cost technologies adapted to local production realities, as well as for practice-oriented activities. The results suggest that participatory agroecological interventions can represent a viable strategy to reduce production losses and strengthen food security in Amazonian Indigenous contexts, provided that internal governance dynamics and the sociotechnical adequacy of proposed solutions are carefully considered.