¿Innovar para resistir? La territorialización del Guaraná en la Amazonia (Brasil)

Abstract

In recent years, Brazil has experienced major transformations among which the strengthening of citizen participation in public policy development and innovative instruments for rural development such as on the one hand, "the territories of citizenship" formed in 2008 and on the other hand access to the geographical indications (GIs) scheme established in 2002. We consider these mechanisms as favorable to the institutionalization of specific territories where governance would break with traditional policies so that the valorization of localized agricultural resources ensure a secure access to the market. We discuss the particular case of the region of Maues (Amazonas), originally known as the land of guarana ( Paullinia cupana var. sorbilis ). This Amazon forest plant was domesticated by the Satere-Mawe people before spreading in the region and to other Brazilian states. Apart from its valorization within classic production chains, we show that guarana is the object of appropriation struggles by different groups aiming at reinscribing it in its territory of origin. Access to GIs finds itself at the heart of a multifaceted territorialization process of guarana in which different actors face each other, are excluded or coordinate to defend their specialization.