EcoRoça - proposta de um jogo sério para o diálogo entre saberes tradicionais e científicos

Abstract

Family farming plays a key role in the Brazilian economy, being responsible for a significant portion of the food produced and consumed in the country. Practiced on small properties, this type of agriculture values traditional knowledge passed down through generations. However, it faces significant challenges, such as the increased use of pesticides and rural exodus, which gradually lead to the loss of this cultural knowledge. In this context, it becomes essential to integrate traditional and scientific knowledge taught in schools, fostering the connection between these forms of knowledge and strengthening cultural identity and sustainability in rural areas. This study presents EcoRo¸ca, a serious game in the agricultural harvest style developed based on research conducted in the community of Retiro, district of Cora¸c˜ao de Maria, Bahia. The study conducted by Baptista (2007, 2016) integrates local planting practices and establishes connections with scientific content. Focused on crops such as corn, cassava, and pineapple, EcoRo¸ca addresses essential agricultural practices, such as soil management and biological pest control, while also valuing the traditional knowledge of the local community. The development of EcoRo¸ca followed an applied, exploratory-descriptive, and qualitative design, organized into seven consecutive stages: (1) mapping of agricultural games; (2) narrative development; (3) flow modeling using UML diagrams; (4) incorporation of ethnobiological content; (5) complementary agronomic research; (6) definition of technologies; and (7) preliminary validation. The process was carried out collaboratively, involving a teacher from the Col´egio Estadual do Campo Prof. Jos´e Waldomiro Santos da Concei¸c˜ao, two undergraduate research fellows, the researcher-author, and two supervising professors from UEFS. For validation, an online questionnaire (Google Forms) was applied during a Google Meet session with eight members of the Research Group in Ethnobiology and Science Education (GIEEC/UEFS). Based on the results obtained in this study, which is part of a project approved by the CEP-UEFS (Opinion 5.349.929/2022) and funded by CNPq (Grant 422642/2021-5), the pedagogical potential of EcoRo¸ca to integrate traditional and scientific knowledge became evident, as it was designed to promote intercultural dialogue between students and teachers in rural education.