2026-10-14T06:10:34Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/34020553 2026-10-06T11:46:13Z category_272 category_39 category_45 category_734 category_106 portal_87 item_type_6 month_year_10_2026

The juçara countermovement in Brazil: agroecology and the (en)countering of commodification Juliana Neira (25133824) Joshua Farley (25133827) Abdon L. Schmitt Filho (25133830) Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified Ecology Sociology Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified Science Policy Juçara(Euterpe edulis) açaí palmito Atlantic Forest commodification commodity embedding disembedding cultural erosion agroecology resurgence countermovement <p>Brazil is a leading producer of global food commodities following a corporate model that prioritizes profit maximization through industrial monocultures and cost externalization. This model disembeds foods from their social and ecological contexts, resulting in exploitation. Drawing on an empirical case study using ethnographic and reflexive methods, we examine small-scale enterprises in Brazil that produce and commercialize juçara, a fruit from a palm species ecologically vital to the Atlantic Forest. Once endangered due to the commodification of heart of palm (<i>palmito</i>), juçara fruit is being commercialized through agroecological principles. We argue that this is contributing to the palm’s ecological resurgence in the forest and as a cultural symbol. We explore the multiple social and ecological dimensions of juçara, emphasizing how they could be eroded by commodification. This case illustrates how agroecology creates openings for resistance against the commodification of food.</p> 2026-10-06T11:46:13Z Text Journal contribution 10.6084/m9.figshare.34020553.v2 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/The_ju_ara_countermovement_in_Brazil_agroecology_and_the_en_countering_of_commodification/34020553 CC BY 4.0