Cultivating knowledge, harvesting autonomy

agroecological fairs and popular education with Amazonian women from the Tefé National Forest/AM

Abstract

In the Tefé National Forest – Flona, Amazonas, women have an intense work routine, from household chores and child education to farming and fulfilling the “role of wives”. The agroecological production fairs, organized by the women of the Flona region, move in the opposite direction of women’s subordination. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze the process of strengthening the identities of women from the Flona through the agroecological product fairs, from organization to products sales, while highlighting the importance of agroecology and its relationship with women. The study was conducted in the Flona, with the collaboration of five women whose unique experiences were fundamental to the construction and development of the research. The investigation was conducted through participatory research, integrating life stories and photographic records as key instruments. The results show that fairs go beyond spaces of commercialization, becoming territories of education, belonging, and identity affirmation, where educational, affective, and political dimensions interwine. It was concluded that the fairs are not only places of material production but also of autonomy building and political participation, especially through the exchange of knowledge and experiences among participating women.