Sustainable Socio-Productive Practices in the Maurak Indigenous Community, Venezuela

Abstract

The socio-productive practices developed by Indigenous communities constitute traditional agricultural systems that integrate ecological knowledge, community organization, and the sustainable management of natural resources. In this context, the study aimed to analyze the sustainable socio-productive practices implemented by the Maurak Indigenous community in Bolívar State, Venezuela, with emphasis on its agricultural productive structure and its contribution to sustainable rural development. A qualitative ethnographic approach was adopted, based on in-depth interviews with four key informants, participant observation, and systematic field note recording. The information was organized and analyzed using ATLAS.ti software (version 23), applying domain, taxonomic, componential, and cultural theme analyses. The findings indicate that the productive system, grounded in the conuco, intercropping practices, and the family- and community-based organization of labor—featuring crops such as cassava, maize, coffee, plantain, and banana—constitutes a model oriented toward subsistence, food sovereignty, and environmental conservation. It is concluded that Maurak socio-productive practices represent a territorially contextualized agroecological alternative with the potential to strengthen sustainable rural development strategies in Indigenous border regions.