Pedagogia das Festas das Sementes Crioulas no Sudoeste do Paraná: 2004-2025

Abstract

This dissertation is part of the Graduate Program in Education of Francisco Beltrão - PPGEFB, at the master degree, at the State University of Western Paraná - UNIOESTE, Francisco Beltrão, campus - PR, Research Line 2: Society, Knowledge, and Education. This research aims, in general sense, to analyze the pedagogy of heirloom seed festivals in the Southwest Paraná from 2004 to 2025. The specific objectives are: analyzing the countryside as a territory in dispute between conventional agricultural production and agro ecological production; to characterize the educational dimensions of popular social movements in the countryside, of the heirloom seed festivals, and to synthesize the educational dimensions of the heirloom seed festivals in Southwest Paraná between the years 2004 and 2025. With regard to the methodological approach, it is guided by the theoretical framework of historical-dialectical materialism. The research is based on a qualitative approach of a basic nature combining a bibliographic study with a multiple case study, considering that the Creole seed festivals unfold in several editions, but all are part of the same phenomenon. Two direct observations were used as data collection instruments, which took place on July 11th, 2024, in Nova Esperança in the Southwest and on July 17th, 2025, in Dois Vizinhos. In addition, the main form of data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews with the organizers and participants about the subjects of the Creole seed festivals, as well as the analysis of images and documents related to the Creole seed festivals of Southwestern Paraná. It was pointed out as a result from the semi-structured interviews the existence of a pedagogy of heirloom seed festivals in Southwestern Paraná. Such pedagogy is reflected in various aspects and moments of the festival, such as: registration, collective breakfast, ornamentation, decoration, flags, posters, oral and artistic presentations, reading of the political letter, music, collective lunch, and sharing of the heirloom seeds. It was noted through the interviews that these festivals are practices built with and by the popular social movements of the Southwestern Paraná region as gatherings in which there is joy, longing, fellowship, hugs, dreams, sharing, and dialogues. These festivals defend and fight for the preservation, care, safeguarding, planting, diversity (genetic and cultural), and reproduction of heirloom seeds, in addition to producing different artistic, musical, mystical knowledge, educating individuals in human sensitivity, emotions, memories, traditions, affections, involvement and collective and social practices. Therefore, throughout the research, 'pedagogy' was understood as the science of education and education was understood as all formal and non-formal processes, in all dimensions of human development of which the Creole seed festivals are a part