INDIGENOUS CULTIVATION AGENT IN INDIGENOUS HEALTH WITHIN THE UNIFIED HEALTH SYSTEM (SUS): AN INTERCULTURAL STRATEGY IN PHARMACEUTICAL CARE

Abstract

This article analyzes, from a critical, interdisciplinary, and decolonial perspective, the inclusion of the Indigenous Cultivation Agent within the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), with an emphasis on intercultural pharmaceutical care and the valorization of traditional knowledge. This is a qualitative study of a descriptive-analytical nature, based on document analysis and an integrative review of recent literature (2022–2025), grounded in the theoretical frameworks of Brazilian public health. The study is situated within the context of the project “Interculturality and Living Pharmacies in SUS Ceará.” The results demonstrate that the institutionalization of this professional category promotes expanded access to phytotherapeutics, strengthens community autonomy, and contributes to the development of culturally sensitive healthcare models. Furthermore, the strategy functions as a mechanism for reconfiguring power relations in the health field by recognizing Indigenous peoples as active agents in the production of care. It is concluded that this initiative represents a strategic advancement in the consolidation of health equity and in the integration between science and tradition within SUS (FIOCRUZ, 2023; BRASIL, 2024; GOMES et al., 2024).