Profile of the use of Non-Conventional Food Plants in Communities with sustainable vision in Maceió/AL

Abstract

The non-conventional parts, preparations or Food Plants, better known as PANC appear as an alternative food and / or nutritional supplement for society, however, they are not or are not widespread in cooking, being better known as weeds or weeds. This present work aims to identify the knowledge and use of PANC by communities, which aim at sustainability, from Maceió, capital of Alagoas, in order to systematize the practices related to these plants. The methodology used sought to present the data from qualitative and quantitative descriptive analyzes. To identify the profile of the interviewees and the communities, a qualitative descriptive form was applied to systematize the socioeconomic data obtained. PANCs were analyzed according to their characterization, with the popular name being related to their respective taxonomy (family, genus and / or species). It was observed that of the 3 communities studied, all were made up of sets of privately owned land, designated for housing, plus the conservation areas of green spaces and common environments for implementing productive, recreational and religious activities with more sustainable practices. Aldeia Verde stands out with the largest total area: 31 ha, distributed in a Private Natural Heritage Reserve (RPPN) of approximately 17 ha of native vegetation and 8 ha of agricultural production using agroforestry techniques. Agroforestry products are exhibited at the Parque Shopping Maceió organic fair, demonstrating that the community is more focused on agricultural production and marketing. It was concluded that in relation to PANC, there is a good level of knowledge and use for food and commercialization, in which they mentioned different species and presented different forms of preparation. However, in general, the difficulty of acquiring PANCs is still an obstacle to the greater consumption habit, as well as the need for further studies on the nutritional potentials existing in the different species that fall under the PANC concept. Thus, making it possible to spread more variety of PANCs present on the tables of consumers who seek the best food and nutritional quality.