Summary: It was only after the last glaciation, around 10,000 B.C., that climate changes allowed for greater development of agriculture. The end of the last ice age transformed climatic conditions in various ways. The decrease in temperatures led to the formation of a temperate climate, as well as the emergence of arid and desert regions. These changes created conditions that allowed humans and animals to disperse across different regions in search of water and vegetation. By the arrival of the Neolithic period, human groups had already accumulated a broad range of knowledge due to their reasoning abilities. Over time, they had learned to distinguish which types of food sources were suitable for consumption. It was in this context that a profound transformation began to develop in the daily life of prehistoric humans. Observing nature itself allowed the first agricultural techniques to be pioneered. As a result, food security became increasingly accessible, and the constant need for movement diminished significantly. The conditions brought by the Neolithic era were essentially characterized by animal domestication, pottery, and agriculture. Agriculture, in turn, emerged as an alternative to the new climatic and environmental conditions through the refinement of an already known process, which allowed for the formation of human settlements united in the struggle for survival on the planet at very different times. The impact of agriculture on these human settlements varied according to the edaphoclimatic conditions of each location, such as climate, terrain, lithology, temperature, humidity, radiation, soil type, wind, atmospheric composition, and rainfall. Each of these elements individually affects the biological processes of plants, animals, and microorganisms living in a biome. However, greater influence is observed when two or more of these elements act together, resulting in complex or even divergent climatic conditions from those commonly found. This biodiversity, formed through a constant evolutionary process, is appropriated in each location by agriculture, constituting agrobiodiversity. Throughout history to the present day, the struggle of peasant family farming can be seen as a fight for autonomy, occurring within each individual property but also involving rural communities and social movements in the countryside. However, since the beginning of the Green Revolution, forces have emerged that determine not only what is produced but also how much, where, how, by whom, and for whom production occurs. This reveals a conflict between different forces. Over the last few decades, commercial cultivar seeds have contributed to a narrowing genetic base of cultivated plants, a process known as genetic erosion. A notable example is the emergence of the private sector as a dominant player in research and the dominance of the agricultural and technological market by a conglomerate of corporations. These corporations, through patent monopolies, exert unprecedented control over the biological foundations of agriculture and the agro-food system. The appropriation of corporate rights over the genetic base of agriculture forces even public institutions to negotiate licenses with various companies holding biotechnologies to research and release genetically modified organisms and other patented subjects. Agroecology, as a science, has been championing the fight for the protection of agrobiodiversity and traditional creole seeds (Traditional Seeds) for decades, significantly contributing to the autonomy of Brazilian agriculture in choosing which varieties to cultivate, rescuing traditions, and ensuring food security and sustainability. Seed banks for traditional seeds serve as a security mechanism, guaranteeing stocks and availability to family farmers. The agroecological movement for traditional seeds is a struggle to defend, rescue, multiply, and value these traditional seeds. They strengthen farmers' autonomy, contribute to the preservation of agrobiodiversity, promote the resilience and sustainability of food systems, and play a crucial role in preserving traditional culture in Brazil's Semi-Arid region. These traditional varieties are dynamic, constantly evolving and adapting to environmental conditions and cultivation systems. In adherence to the adopted agroecological principles and understanding that the preservation and enhancement of the knowledge and practices of agrobiodiversity guardians would be imminent, Pró-Semiárido sought partnerships with Embrapa Semiárido, the Rural People's Organizations Advisory Service (SASOP), and the Small Farmers Movement (MPA) to establish a Creole Seeds Program. This initiative aims to tackle challenges such as the loss of genetic diversity due to traditional monocultures, contamination of creole seeds by transgenic genotypes and hybrid seeds, and ensuring the availability of locally adapted seeds. The evolution of species in the Pró-Semiárido area has been shaped by immense ecologi

Publication year: 2024

Types of publication: Books

Unit: Embrapa Foods and Territories

Keywords: Agricultural inputs, Agrobiodiversity beds, Agrobiodiversity fairs, Agroecology, Assessment and monitoring tool, Capoeira chickens, Climate change, Creole seed house, Family farming, Inputs for food production, Inventory of agrobiodiversity, Public policies, Resilient agricultural systems, Seeds, Seeds germination, Seeds production, Seeds storage