Biocultural Elements and Multifunctionality of Cassava Flour Production in Agrarian Reform Settlements in the Extreme South of Bahia, Brazil

Artisanal manufacture of cassava flour in Brazil has a cultural and biological framework developed over generations of traditional rural workers. We conducted a broad study of flour production in the Extreme South of Bahia in 2019 across 30 rural settlements in 11 municipalities, where we evaluated 107 flour producers. Our results present the socioeconomic profiles of local farmers, cassava varieties, types of flour, particularities of production, and characteristics of commercialization. We highlight the multiple functions of artisanal production of cassava flour, especially as related to social and economic maintenance of households, the promotion of food security, and sovereignty within and around the communities, and the conservation of agrobiodiversity in the rural landscape.