Perception of fungi by farmers in the Cerrado

Percepção de agricultores do Cerrado sobre os fungos

Abstract

Fungi are important in several aspects of human life. In particular, to agriculture, pathogenic fungi are of great importance, as they are responsible for production losses of the most diverse types. Because of this, knowledge about pathogenic fungus is of extreme importance for farmers and professionals working in agricultural areas. Among farmers who use specific agroecological practices, this knowledge is even more valuable, since by not adopting conventional methods of production, they resort to non-invasive alternatives that are less or not harmful at all to the environment in consideration of production management methods. This study aimed to assess farmer perception in the Cerrado biome in the city of Goiás (GO), Brazil, in order to understand their ethnomycological perceptions to verify historical management practices, their knowledge about phytopathogenic fungi, and how these producers perceive fungi. We used the theoretical reference method “From peasant to peasant” formulated by ANPA - National Association of Small Farmers. Some aspects of farmers’ ethnomycological knowledge are discussed. These ease identification the representatives of the Fungi Kingdom is associated with organisms that present easily recognizable characteristics, such as wood-ears or disease-causing fungi. In general, farmers are able to identify representatives of the Fungi Kingdom that are found in their daily lives. The perception of farmers about fungi, a group still much unknown by society, is very relevant for future actions of ethnomycology.

Keywords:
agroecology; ethnomycology; fungal biology; popular knowledge