Local ecological knowledge of native Atlantic Forest medicinal plants on an agricultural settlement in Pernambuco, Brazil

Ethnobotanical research methods can contribute to agrarian political economy studies.  I used an ethnobotanical survey to assess the extent of settlers’ local ecological knowledge on the Frei Gondim diversified agriculture settlement in the heart of the sugar monoculture zone of Pernambuco in Northeast Brazil.  I conducted the ethnobotanical survey (n=5) in conjunction with a larger agrarian study (n=20) that used a model derived from the work of Robert Netting to assess the economic and ecological sustainability of peasant agriculture operations.  I found that settlers have strong ecological knowledge of native Atlantic Rainforest medicinal plants on the settlement.  Of 35 plants I collected, I identified 26:  Ten, or nearly half the identified medicinal plants, were native to the Atlantic Rainforest.  According to the Netting Model, peasant agriculture encourages techniques of stewardship and resource conservation.  My study showed that the Frei Gondim settlers possess the necessary ecological knowledge to practice these techniques.