Banca de DEFESA: MANUEL PEREIRA DO NASCIMENTO NETO

Uma banca de DEFESA de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : MANUEL PEREIRA DO NASCIMENTO NETO
DATE: 03/06/2026
TIME: 08:30
LOCAL: Google Meet
TITLE:

THE SPATIAL PRODUCTION CIRCUIT OF CASSAVA AND USES OF THE TERRITORY IN PARAÍBA, NORTHEAST BRAZIL

KEY WORDS:

Spatial production circuit. Uses of the territory. Cassava. Starch. Paraíba.

PAGES: 349
BIG AREA: Ciências Humanas
AREA: Geografia
SUMMARY:

Considering the spatial production circuit of cassava means highlighting one of the most important traditions of Brazilian cuisine, endowed with great historical, economic, and social relevance. In 2017, the UN recognized cassava as one of the strategic foods for the 21st century, and in Brazil it is registered as an intangible heritage of national cuisine by IPHAN. Initially cultivated by Indigenous peoples, it is currently produced throughout the national territory, making Brazil the world’s fifth-largest producer in 2022. Cassava processing, once carried out in a rudimentary way in flour houses, is now also performed in automated agro-industries that use industrialized starch, mainly from the Southern region. In this context, Paraíba, a traditional producer and processor of cassava, is undergoing a process of transformation. Given this scenario, the objective of this study is to analyze the spatial production circuit of cassava in Paraíba, considering the uses of territory and the modernization of the productive circuit. The research is grounded theory of geographic space and in the concept of spatial production circuits, emphasizing the centrality of circulation across the different stages of production. The analysis of cooperation circles makes it possible to understand the articulations between agents and places in the processes of raw material acquisition, management, production, distribution, and consumption. To this end, the analytical category of “used territory” is adopted, understanding space as the result of actions by society, the state, institutions, companies, and workers. Modernization is understood as a heterogeneous and complex process that combines change and continuity, intensified from the second half of the 20th century with the emergence of the technical-scientific-informational milieu. The research methodology is structured into three complementary stages: bibliographic research, involving the review of key concepts in books and scientific articles; the collection of statistical and documentary data, based on information from IBGE and other institutions; and field research, carried out in 17 municipalities in Paraíba, including technical visits to rural properties, flour houses, and tapioca starch agro-industries, with observation of production processes, photographic records, and interviews with workers and managers. The results indicate that, although cassava cultivation has great potential as a source of food, income, and economic development for Paraíba, it has shown signs of stagnation in recent decades, in contrast to the increasing inflow of industrialized starch and the outflow of tapioca gum to other states. In the technical-scientific-informational period, flour houses are configured as hybrid spaces, where traditional techniques coexist with innovations, expressing resistance and different levels of modernization. On the other hand, agro-industries represent the most technified segment of the circuit, introducing new technical objects and expanding relationships and flows between different subspaces. These transformations highlight the need for public policies that promote the regularization of flour houses and strengthen initiatives based on popular culture, cooperation, and the valorization of territory, in order to ensure broader benefits for all agents involved in the cassava spatial production circuit in Paraíba.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 1804177 - DIEGO SALOMAO CANDIDO DE OLIVEIRA SALVADOR
Interno - 3060741 - HUGO ARRUDA DE MORAIS
Externo ao Programa - 3214278 - LEANDRO VIEIRA CAVALCANTE - UFRNExterno à Instituição - ANIERES BARBOSA DA SILVA - UFPB
Externo à Instituição - LINCOLN DA SILVA DINIZ - UFCG