Sistema de produção dos pequenos produtores de mandioca no nordeste paraense.

Abstract

Aiming to characterize the production systems of small producers, detect their main constraints and subsidize research projects, according to the peasant reality, a diagnosis was performed in the municipalities of Bragança and São Domingos do Capim-Pa, by applying questionnaires to obtain information about land use, land tenure situation, destination of production, etc. From the results obtained it was observed that cassava is the main crop of these small producers, due to its rusticity, storage conditions in the field and savings. The predominant cropping system is cassava intercropped with corn and cassava and caupi in monoculture. The cultivars and spacing used are variable and the average cultivation area is 2 ha. The predominant labor force is family labor and the production is for subsistence, selling only the surplus. The main objective of the cassava is to be sold as flour. The institutional support to this segment of society is sporadic or nonexistent and the techniques used in its cultivation are those "inherited" from their ancestors or through conversations with neighbors. The small production, as observed in the field, is left to the fate of each small farmer.