Agrobiodiversity conservation in changing times in traditional agricultural systems: reflections from the practices of cassava cultivation in the Boa Esperança community, Santarém, Pará.

Abstract

The purpose is to discuss the contributions of family farmers to the agrobiodiversity conservation
- and food sovereignty - in the context of changes in traditional agricultural systems.
The discussion is based on empirical research carried out through direct observation and
interviews with 27 family cassava farms from Boa Esperança community, Santarém-PA. The
research shows that, in association with traditional knowledge, the management of cultivated
varieties corroborates the quality of the flour, preserves agrobiodiversity, the relative autonomy
of producers and reciprocity relationships among family farmers. Such aspects of traditional
cassava cultivation and processing systems favor conservation of the community’s biocultural
memory in times of increasing land use change, agroecosystems, and agricultural know-how.