Renata Menasche

Autoconsumo e segurança alimentar: a agricultura familiar a partir dos saberes e práticas da alimentação

OBJECTIVE: To identify and to analyze eating classifications and representations as well the food production and consumption practices among farmers from Vale do Taquari (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil). METHODS: The data and information were collected from interviews and participatory observation, oriented by qualitative methods. The research involved 48 rural families from three different localities in 2004 and 2005. The theoretical and analytical resources were provided by food anthropology and reciprocity approach. RESULTS: The production of food for self-consumption among the studied families is significant and the main producers are women. Food practices have changed as a result of agricultural modernization and increased use of industrialized products, yet they maintain local specificity and are related to several expressions of sociability such as food exchanges and community parties. These are permeated by symbolisms that update the way of living and assure food security. CONCLUSION: The production practices for autoconsumption of the studied families are associated with food security and, in this way, to social reproduction strategies. Food exchanges and food choices express relationships of sociability and identity in the studied rural communities. Social and cultural aspects and different levels of social relationships are undergoing a transformation which may jeopardize the food security of the families. Such processes are inspiring new studies.

Na colônia: imagens, saberes e sabores partilhados

A equipe multidisciplinar reunida em torno da agenda de pesquisa “Saberes e Sabores da Colonia” percorreu, entre 2011 e 2013, a Serra dos Tapes, situada ao sul do Rio Grande do Sul. Buscava conhecer, a partir da observacao das praticas alimentares, a complexidade existente neste espaco rural e a cultura camponesa compartilhada por familias rurais de diversas origens. A imagem foi constitutiva das pesquisas etnograficas realizadas junto a distintos grupos e localidades, processo que resultou em artigos, livro, um box multimidia – contendo um DVD interativo, dez videos documentarios e um livreto de receitas –, alem de uma exposicao de dez paineis com imagens e textos. Para alem do meio cientifico e academico, esses produtos imageticos tem sido divulgados junto a interlocutores da pesquisa, comunidades, escolas e organizacoes e movimentos da regiao, trazendo a tona reflexoes sobre os eventos de restituicao e de recepcao dos saberes acumulados, transmitidos e partilhados. A proposta deste artigo consiste em refletir sobre dinâmicas decorrentes de uma abordagem que toma as imagens produzidas pela equipe como vetores e catalizadores da pesquisa no dialogo com os interlocutores, enfatizando o processo desencadeado por sua circulacao e recepcao no universo investigado. Palavras-chave: Metodologia de pesquisa. Restituicao em etnografia. Antropologia visual. Antropologia rural. Antropologia da alimentacao. In the Colony: sharing images, knowledge and tastes Abstract The multidisciplinary team gathered around the research agenda “Knowledge and Tastes of the Colony” covered, from 2011 to 2013, the Tapes Mountains, located in the Southern region of Rio Grande do Sul. The group was seeking to learn, from the observation of eating habits, the current complexity in this rural location and the peasant culture shared by rural families from different backgrounds. The image constituted the ethnographic researches carried out along with several groups and locations, which resulted in articles, a book, a multimedia box set – containing an interactive DVD, ten documentary films and a recipe booklet –, in addition to an exhibit with ten panels with images and texts. Beyond the academia and scientific world, these image products have been being disclosed to the counterparts of the research, communities, schools and local organizations and movements, raising reflections around the events of restitution and reception of knowledge that has been accumulated, transmitted and shared. The proposal of this article consists of reflecting about the dynamics arising from an approach that sees the images produced by the team as vectors and catalysts of the research in the dialogue with counterparts, emphasizing the process triggered by its flow and reception in the universe under investigation. Key words: Research methodology. Restitution in ethnography. Visual anthropology. Rural anthropology. Anthropology of food.