As mulheres extrativistas da “Associação Aroeira” em Piaçabuçu, Alagoas

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The debate on the organization of the work of rural extractivist women, although still incipient, is important in contemporary studies, given the need to understand the ways of life and organization of these women and other social groups that maintain the agroextractive economy and strengthen development projects from a sustainability perspective. In this context, this work aims to identify the survival strategies adopted by extractivist women organized by “Association Aroeira” and the importance of associated work in this process. This is a case study, in which semi-structured interviews were carried out, in addition to the observations and notes recorded in the field diary. The results show that women have a reproductive logic based on local natural resources and their multiple occupations, among them, fishing, their main activity, the sustainable extraction of pink pepper and the agro-industrialization of agroextractive products, as well as they organize their socio-productive strategies through associativism. The Association, as a space for social and productive organization, made feasible collective work, the improvement of production conditions, the commercialization and technical training of extractivists. It was also verified the social importance attributed to the performance of women in the Association, given the greater recognition of their workforce and the achievement of greater social affirmation, inside and outside the domestic group.

KEYWORDS: Associativism, rural women, Female protagonism, sustainable extractivism.