Food and nutritional security in Tekoa Pyau, a Guarani village in the municipality of São Paulo

Abstract

Introduction: The Guarani people from the indigenous village of Tekoa Pyau, in the municipality of São Paulo, are confined to a small area imperiled by territorial disputes and surrounded by intense urbanization. These circumstances hinder their traditional practices and favor an increasing circulation of people and industrialized goods, diminishing their autonomy in relation to such goods, thus impacting political, environmental, economic, spiritual, social and health-related aspects of the community. The sociocosmological knowledge that informs their culture and practices around food could be powerful tools for fostering alliances between traditional food systems and government policies. Objective: Discuss Food and Nutritional Security in relation to existing public policies for the village and elaborate proposals for their effectiveness. Method: Ethnography was chosen to understand a world in which food practices can only be apprehended within their local meaning. Results: The Guarani categorize foods as “dead foods” (purchased in supermarkets and that weaken their bodies, including ultra-processed foods) and “living foods” (extracted from nature directly, which strengthens them). Among the “living foods” they yield avaxi etei (‘real corn’), a gift from Nhanderu (‘Our Father’ deity) and basic ingredient of their traditional foods. Conclusion: In the data analysis, public mismanagement of resources with inappropriate distribution of infant formulas, political invisibility and school meal programs with no relation to the traditional food are examined. In order to build appropriate public policies, it is important to consider the link between traditional foods and the cosmology, and to understand the healthcare practices of the Guarani.