Collective marks or distinctive signs can be understood as the symbolic
representation of a group, which produces something or a process in a different way
from the others. It has great potential as an inducer of local development, as it is
used by members of a community that jointly develop a certain economic activity
and organize themselves around the management of a common good (FARIA,
2009; PORTO, 2010; BARBOSA, 2011; REGALADO et al., 2012). Local
development is a community-centered transformation process; part of the existence
of unmet needs; follows an integrated logic; is focused on working in partnership;
impacts the community as a whole; and acts in accordance with a variety of
possible paths and responses to people living in that territory (AMARO, 1993), but
in the Amazon regional context there are still few initiatives that use the collective
brand as a marketing strategy for regional products, whether forestry or handicrafts
in general. In this context, the present work aims to analyze the impacts of obtaining
the Collective Brand Aíra – Cuias de Santarém, on the economic and social
development of the communities that make up the Aritapera region, in the
municipality of Santarém, west of Pará, where artisan production of gourds is
recognized for traditionality. For that, a bibliographic, documental and quantitative
survey was carried out, data collection in the place and in the city of Santarém,
specifically in the Centro de Artesanato Cristo Rei and in the Municipal Market, in
addition to informal interviews and remote application of questionnaires. Through
the results, it is possible to understand the know-how of the sociocultural practices
developed by the group of artisans involved in the production process of the gourds,
as well as the entire process until obtaining the mark, and what are the social and
economic effects on the place of production of the gourds. Thus, it was possible to
observe how the Aíra brand has been contributing to the rise of local development
by providing greater visibility to the communities of Aritapera, increasing the
production and marketing of gourds, in addition to valuing the knowledge, crafts and
cultural goods of this region.
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