Lesson from Ethnobotany for Conservation of Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz.): A Case Study in Indonesia

This paper presents the ethnobotany for the conservation of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) in Indonesia, which discusses the origin, distribution, perception, and conception of local communities in Indonesia, their diversity (phenotypic variations, cultivars), management techniques (cultivating/agricultural practices, postharvest handling techniques, processing techniques), utilization and role in local community life, potential, economic value, and ecological and ethical value of cassava. Cassava is a tropical plant that is one of Indonesia’s primary food sources besides rice and corn. Paleoethnobotany studies show that this plant first domesticated on the southern edge of Amazonia about 10,000 years ago. This plant species spreads throughout Indonesia and has become one of the essential plant species for various ethnic groups in Indonesia. The conservation effort through anthropogenic processes underlying diversification, agricultural practice, utilization, value, and role in people’s lives has been detailed in Indonesia. To extract the lesson from ethnobotany for the conservation of cassava in Indonesia, we investigated aspects of ethnobotany, local agricultural practices, and local knowledge of the phenotypic variation of cassava.