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Quilombos, a weapon against hunger in northeastern Brazil

These communities, founded by slaves fleeing forced labor, are key to the fight against hunger and have programs to increase agricultural production

Pablo Vergara

Piauí (Brazil) - Jan 18, 2024 - 00:32CET

In the middle of the Brazilian 'sertão,' a region with a semi-arid climate that extends across the northeast of the country, the quilombos of Tapuio and Custaneira, in the state of Piauí, are two examples of collective organization and agricultural production that are resisting the onslaught of climate change. The quilombos, founded by slaves fleeing forced labor, are resilient communities that subsist thanks to family farming. Seventy-six percent of them are located in northeastern Brazil.Pablo Vergara

Hunger is once again threatening Brazil. According to the latest report of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), more than 61 million Brazilians face some level of food insecurity, with 15.4 million experiencing severe food insecurity. The regions that suffer most severely from this problem are in the Brazilian northeast, where poverty rates are highest. Agricultural production in the quilombos is providing a path to fight hunger. These communities now cultivate the land with the support of Pronafe (National Program to Strengthen Family Agriculture), which aims to improve agricultural productivity by financing credits to increase production and guarantee the purchase of seeds and other goods. pablo vergara

Traditional peasant dish from northeastern Brazil based on mutton, pumpkin, cassava, rice and beans. All the food is ecologically produced and comes from the quilombo of Custaneira.pablo vergara

The concentration of land in the hands of a few landowners is a complex issue in Brazil. According to an Oxfam study on the unequal distribution of land ownership in Latin America, less than 1% of agricultural properties cover almost half of the Brazilian rural area. This land is used for large-scale production, contributing to the deforestation of large forests. pablo vergara

Maria Jacinta dos Santos, 98, in the Tapuio quilombo.pablo vergara

Seventy percent of the food that reaches the tables of Brazilians comes from family farming, which demonstrates the importance of this type of small-scale production in Brazil. In the photograph, Mrs. Lucidia Maria do Socorro dos Santos is seen in her corn plantation in the Tapuio quilombo. pablo vergara

Lucidia Maria do Socorro dos Santos serves food in the quilombo of Tapuio.pablo vergara

In the Tapuio quilombo, where some 25 families live, women play a key role in community organization. They participate in the assemblies, where they make important decisions about projects. In the picture, sisters Osvaldina Rosalina dos Santos and Marilene Rosalina dos Santos are seen grinding corn following an ancestral practice.pablo vergara

Young people are organizing in the quilombos to continue agricultural production and preserve their oral traditions. In this photo, a man is pictured in the quilombo of Custaneira.pablo vergara

En el quilombo de Custaneira, en el norte de Piauí, la religión tiene una gran importancia. El padre Naldo es una figura emblemática y líder religioso de la comunidad y ayuda a organizar la Casa de Guerreiro Caboclo de Oxóssi, un lugar sagrado dedicado a una deidad de la religión yoruba, originaria de África occidental. En la imagen, estatuas que representan a los 'Pretos Velhos', entre otras identidades, en esa casa.pablo vergara

Raising pigs is one of the main livestock activities of the quilombos, along with raising 'canela preta' chickens, a unique regional species used in the typical chicken broth dish of the Tapuio quilombo.pablo vergara

Corn is one of the main crops of the quilombos, both for livestock and human consumption. One of the traditional dishes of the quilombos is corn flour polenta. In the photo, a farmer is seen in the quilombo of Custaneira.pablo vergara