Curcubita

Cucurbita pepo

Zucchini

 Archaeological investigations have found evidence that cucurbita was domesticated in the Americas at least 10,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest domesticated species. Seeds of this plant were found in fossilized mammoth excrement from thousands of years ago, indicating that its consumption by “giant herbivores” was part of their dispersal technology and survival strategy. This zucchini seed (cucurbita pepo) is a variety acquired from a seed guardian and donated to a settled farmer from the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST). The MST is a social movement that seeks to mobilize rural workers and society in the fight for the population's right, guaranteed by the Brazilian constitution, for land to fulfill its social function. In other words, land, especially rural land, beyond merely being private property, must play a role in society as a whole.

Cucurbita spp

Field pumpkin

Archaeological investigations have found evidence that the field pumpkin has been domesticated all over the Americas for at least 10,000 years, making it one of the oldest domesticated species. Cucurbita seeds have been found in fossilized mammoth droppings from thousands of years ago, indicating that its consumption by “giant herbivores” was part of the plant’s dispersal technology and thriving strategy. Some varieties of pumpkin are called Moranga in Brazil and Bugango in the Azores region of Portugal. These common names possibly originate from the Kikongo language, native to the center and north of Angola, and part of the territory where the Portuguese language was instated in the colonial era.