Real food

an analysis of the socio-economic contribution of cassava production (manihot esculenta crantz) in the Rural Territory of Identity Rio Machado/RO

Abstract

This article aims to communicate reflections made possible by the development of the project “Real food: rural extension to strengthen the production chain of cassava flour in the Rural Territory of Identity Rio Machado”. This project was developed with the support of Paulo Freire's dialogic method (1980, 1981, 1983), and involved research and social outreach activities, with the main objective of contributing to the strengthening of cassava production in the aforementioned geographic area. The results pointed to a reduction in the production of cassava in two of the municipalities in the territory investigated, in stagnation in three municipalities and an increase in production in two, showing the conflict between this activity and the expansion of soy. The advance of soy agribusiness has been carrying out socio-territorial transformations in Rondônia. Its multivariate and multiscale effects are manifested in the pressure on the land, on founders who combine in a family regime, on indigenous lands and conservation units, among other aspects. It is concluded that the strengthening of family farming, through specific lines of support, and the protection of indigenous lands and conservation areas is essential for the nutritional and food security of these populations.