Creolo beans production systems in Juruá valley, Acre, Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

The Juruá valley Mesoregion is recognized for its diversity of cultivars of common beans and cowpea and is an important center for <i>on farm</i> bean conservation in Brazil. However, there is little information about production systems of <i>Creoles</i> cultivars and, in this approach, the study aimed to identify the production centers and to gather information about beans production systems. Thirty eight farmers and five merchants were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires. Juruá valley farmers use three beans production systems: "beach farming", "slash burn system" and "stuffy farming". The systems use family labor with low dependence on external inputs, two classified as itinerant. The study identified two beans production centers:<i> Alto Juruá</i> extractive reserve and <i>Santa Luzia </i>directed settlement project.