THE SOCIOBIODIVERSITY OF AGROFOOD SYSTEMS IN THE RIACHO DO MEL COMMUNITY, IRAQUARA, BAHIA

Abstract

The study aimed to understand the agricultural and social dynamics of a rural community by analyzing forms of labor organization, cooperation practices, and the use of local resources. The research was conducted in the quilombola community of Riacho do Mel, located in the municipality of Iraquara, Chapada Diamantina (Bahia, Brazil), through semi-structured interviews with 25 farming families, intentionally and stratifiedly selected to include different sectors of the residential nucleus and thus ensure spatial representativeness, as well as through the “snowball” sampling technique. The results indicate that local production is predominantly oriented toward self-consumption, sustained by essential crops such as corn, beans, cassava, and castor bean, and complemented by the diversity found in home gardens, which significantly contributes to the families’ food security.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56238/sevened2025.039-006