Ethnobotany of the peanut in recôncavo da Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this study was to perform an ethnobotanical survey in some regions of Recôncavo da Bahia, Brazil, to investigate the profile of farmers and the local knowledge about Arachis hypogaea L. (peanut). We sampled 60 local peanut farmers from rural areas in the municipalities Conceição do Almeida, Cruz das Almas, Maragogipe, São Felipe, São Félix, Sapeaçú and Lage. One producer per residence was interviewed and a semi-structured interview model was used. During the interviews, seeds stored by the producers were collected for future analysis. The frequency of the answers was calculated using SAS (Statistical analysis system) software. Using an ethnobotanical approach, we were able to show that peanut cultivation is part of the Recôncavo da Bahia culture and that farmers in the area have their own knowledge about the use and management of this crop. This knowledge arose from information passed down over the years from previous generations. Similar farming techniques were used in all of the studied municipalities.

Keywords

• crops
• family farming
• interview
• local knowledge
• arachis hypogaea l.