Manioc Essay ⋆ Environment Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

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Manioc, or cassava yucca, is a tropical root vegetable originally from Brazil that was used for thousands of years by natives in Latin America. European explorers first came across it in the Amazon region in the mid-16th century. Many archaeologists agree that manioc was an important crop in the tropical forest of the Amazon region. Today, the starchy roots of cassava form the staple diet of over 500 million people in dozens of developing countries on four continents.

There are two main types of manioc. Bitter manioc, which can become a staple food after heating, drying, and leaching, is toxic in its natural form because it contains cyanide. Sweet manioc has a lower concentration of toxic elements. According to ethnobotanist Serena Heckler, because of its toxicity, women who succeed in manioc cultivation gain social prestige. Manioc’s many uses include flour, bread, tapioca, a sauce called “tucupi,” and countless dishes in various cultures and traditions. The history of manioc is linked with slavery, colonialism, and trans-Atlantic history; it was introduced in Africa from Brazil in the 19th century. In his book Manioc in Africa, William O. Jones explains that manioc was fundamental to the African agricultural economy, especially in the Congo.

According to the statistics division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAOSTAT), the most important producers of manioc are Nigeria, Brazil, Thailand, Indonesia, Congo, Ghana, India, Tanzania, and Mozambique. The productivity of manioc has changed dramatically in recent decades. While South America’s volume has decreased in the last 30 years, India’s production has risen sharply. In a new development in Brazil, researchers have succeeded in creating highprotein hybrids.

As a strategy to cut greenhouse gas emissions, countries like China are building fuel ethanol plants to produce biofuel for cars; using cassava to generate ethanol is less expensive than grains such as corn or wheat. The extensive production of manioc is sometimes seen as a solution for dire problems like famine, food shortages, and the need for renewable energies. However, the effort to develop disease-resistant varieties of cassava or cassava biofuel has generated controversy among experts debating the possible risks of the transgenic varieties of genetically-modified cassava.

Bibliography:

Serena Heckler, “Tedium and Creativity: The Valorization of Manioc Cultivation and Piaroa Women,” The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute (v.10/2, 2004);
William O. Jones, Manioc in Africa (Stanford University Press, Linked with slaver y, colonialsim, and trans-Atlantic histor y, manioc was introduced in Africa in the 19th centur y. 1959);
Felix I. Nweke, Dunstan C. Spencer, and John K. Lynam, eds., The Cassava Trans]ormation: A]rica‘s BestKept Secret (Michigan State University Press, 2002).