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did not have well-established markets and lacked promo-

tional policies. In addition, consumers are not used to them.

Traditional knowledge is so important here because

the knowledge component in food and agriculture is very

substantial. The useful characteristics of currently utilized

as well as some underutilized crops are a product of many

years of selection and breeding by farmers, identifying,

reproducing and enhancing specific features. This process

heavily relies on knowledge while at the same time produc-

ing significant amounts of knowledge. This knowledge

can be critical, sometimes even determining the difference

between life and death. An example is cassava, a tropical

plant which originated in the Amazon jungle and today is a

major staple food for more than half a billion people, mainly

in the Americas, Asia and Africa. Its starchy edible root is

the third-largest source of carbohydrates in the tropics. As a

plant, it is highly resilient, having the ability to survive long

droughts and to grow in soils that are very acidic, low in

nutrients and high in toxic aluminum compounds.

Cassava

plants, however, contain cyanide in concentrations that

vary according to the variety and that can be highly toxic

and produce serious neurological disorders, such as ataxia,

which causes partial paralysis and even death. Varieties of

higher toxicity usually have higher yields, are disease- and

insect-resistant, and adapt better to more difficult environ-

ments, and so are preferred by many Amazon communities.

In sub-Saharan Africa, a study showed that women prefer the

toxic variety in order to avoid theft.

Throughout hundreds of years, Amazon tribes developed

sophisticated processing techniques that eliminate or signifi-

cantly reduce the toxicity of the tuber and make it safe for

consumption. The techniques, products of locally developed

research approaches, involve a combination of soaking,

drying, fermentation, grinding and cooking carried out over

several days. The development of these techniques involved

a long process with careful cause-effect analyses. Modern day

science has studied and validated the techniques, explaining

the chemistry and the processes by which the cyanide is

reduced to non-toxic levels.

Without the precious knowledge on the cassava varieties,

their relative toxicity levels and the ways to reduce toxicity

to make it safe, millions of people today would lack a major

source of food. This is all the more important as cassava is

mostly consumed by poor people. It significantly contributes

to their food security.

Traditional knowledge is fundamental for the conservation

and preservation of biodiversity and agrobiodiversity, and

thus for human health and food security. However, it is being

lost at a very fast pace. Many local knowledge systems risk

extinction, frequently due to exposure to so-called modern

Image: Yannick De Mol

Intracultural dialogue between men and women has allowed women’s voices to be heard

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