Preventive, Curative, and Tolerance Practices: Family Farmers' Local Ecological Knowledge regarding Harmful Crop Arthropods in NW Patagonia

Abstract

Family farming systems face the challenge of carrying out their activities alongside Harmful Arthropods (HA), which cause damage to edible, wild, and cultivated plants that are fundamental for farmers. This case study, with farmers from the Nahuel Huapi Family Farmers Free Fair (FFAFNH, Spanish acronym), shows some distinctive elements of Local Ecological Knowledge about HA (LEKHA). We investigated LEKHA about seven HA among farmers regarding nomenclature, characterization, ecological aspects, cultivated species affected, ways of acquiring and transmitting knowledge, management practices, and HA’s importance. We discussed how these aspects allow us to infer the hybrid character of LEKHA, which articulates traditional knowledge of peasant agriculture and Scientific Technical Knowledge (STK). A participatory workshop was carried out, which emerged as a request and demand from the members of the FFAFNH. Fifteen local names were registered, two of which were Mapuche. Most of the HA are recognized as harmful to more than one plant, and the majority (60%) have been with farmers for a long time. Regarding management, preventive practices predominated (57%) over curative practices (14%). We postulated a new HA management practice, “tolerance” (29%), which implies that HA coexist with people in their productive spaces and are deliberately allowed to follow their natural cycles. The predominant ways of acquiring and transmitting knowledge are idiosyncratic and oblique (35% each). The workshop was an instance of reinforcement and self-validation of LEKHA, where a dialogue of knowledge was established back and forth with the STK.