Resumen:
This text could be characterized as a practice in developing ethnographic narratives about the
reality experienced by babassu coconut breakers, called “quebradeiras de coco babaçu” in
Brazilian Portuguese. Quebradeira de coco is the identity women take on due to the work they
perform. Such activity is traditionally carried out by women from childhood to adulthood.
This research focused on the everyday life of rural/agroextractive communities situated in the
Médio Mearim, a microregion of the Maranhão state. Participant observation took place in the
years of 2016 and 2017. This is a feminist anthropological study on gender relations within
the babassu production chain. This study addresses interactions and discourses from local
agents on work mechanization projects in communities which are a part of the Association in
Maranhão State Settlement Areas (ASSEMA), at Escola Família Agrícola Antonio Fontenele
(EFAAF) and in São Manoel community. These contexts are interpreted considering two
analytical lines: gender and development
