Aspectos socioeconômicos e culturais da mandiocultura na perspectiva de produtores rurais do município de Santo Antônio de Jesus - Bahia

Abstract

Mandioculture is a term used to refer to the production chain of manioc, which is scientifically called Manihot esculenta Crantz. Brazil is the fourth largest producer in the world. The production and uses of cassava in Brazil has a rich historical baggage that has been built since the beginning of colonization, however, a decline of this culture is observed over the years. herefore, the present work had as objective to analyze socioeconomic and cultural aspects of mandioculture from the perspective of producers of rural communities of Santo Antônio de Jesus, Bahia. his is an exploratory-analytical study of a qualitative nature, developed with cassava producers and producers from three rural communities in the municipality of Santo Antônio de Jesus, Bahia. We interviewed 23 participants aged 39 to 79 years, in a total of 20 interviews, which were selected using the Snow ball technique. In order to analyze the data, we used the Content Analysis method and the creation of analysis categories, such as: Socioeconomic Aspects of Mandioculture (Government Support, Production, Distribution and Marketing); Cultural Aspects of Manioc Cultivation (Changes and perspectives in manioc cultivation, Generational issues, Knowledge and practices around manioc, Valuation of the producer) and Production of Cassava as a Survival Strategy. Farmers emphasized the decline of mandioculture, attributing factors to structural and socioeconomic issues, as well as bringing the representativeness of cassava to the communities. Thus, in observing the loss of a culture of such importance, one concludes that it is not only a question of the deconstruction of practices of a particular group, but of life histories, representativeness and meanings of communities as well as part of the history of the country.