Prática das farmácias vivas do município de Fortaleza, Ceará, e a necessidade de uma ação de extensão sistêmica

Abstract

Living Pharmacies (LPs) were conceived in Ceará and originated the Public Policy on Medicinal Plants and Phytotherapy, which has been seeking to revitalize this activity. The multi case study, based on content analysis, aimed to characterize the LPs of Fortaleza seeking to know their dynamics and the social actors and, analyze them in terms of innovation and compliance with policy regulations. LPs share similar contexts in areas of poverty and social marginalization. LPs are dedicated to the production, consumption and distribution of medicinal plants, and 30% also meet the SUS phytotherapics demand. Social actors established in policy are little evident, except for the Universidade Federal do Ceará and Nufito. Community, academics and patients, override partially and are simultaneously producers, transformation technicians and beneficiaries. Medicinal gardens are urban agriculture and space for learning and acquaintanceship, denoting its multifunctionality. The autonomy in the production chain suggests paying attention to the integrated cultivation of medicinal plants intercropped with vegetables and/or ornamental plants and the need to provide systemic extension services in the production, management and processing. Relationship between regulation and practice suggests to consider the innovations of social actors, for are these who can best provide feedback to policy.