Biocultural elements and multifunctionality of cassava flour production in agrarian reform settlements in the Extreme South of Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

Artisanal manufacture of cassava flour mobilizes a cultural and biological framework that has developed and been continuously improved over generations of traditional rural workers. Despite this evidence in Brazilian traditional communities, few studies focus on rural settlements of agrarian reform. This paper addresses a broad diagnosis of flour production in rural settlements in the Extreme South of Bahia, Brazil, carried out in 2019. Thirty rural settlements were visited in eleven municipalities, where 107 flour-houses were evaluated. The results present the socioeconomic profiles of local farmers, cassava varieties, types of flour, particularities of production and characteristics of commercialization. Finally, the multiple functions of artisanal production of cassava flour are highlighted, especially related to the social and economic maintenance of settled families, the promotion of food security and sovereignty within and around the settlements, strengthening of the social and cultural fabrics, and the conservation of agrobiodiversity in the rural landscape.