Cassava, a traditional crop pushed aside in recent years by the advent of large-scale agro-industry export crops, is recovering some of its former prestige in Brazil, as reflected by the resurrection of the Brazilian Cassava Congress. A regular annual event until its suspension in 1999, the conference is being held once again Oct. 25-28 in Campo Grande, capital of the central-western state of Mato Grosso do Sul.

Cassava is a tuber native to Brazil that was later introduced to other tropical regions around the world, primarily Africa — currently its largest producer — and Asia. Today it is the main source of calories for half a million of the world's people, Auro Otsubo of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation told Tierramérica.

Traditionalism and prejudices have hindered the development of cassava cultivation, Otsubo commented. However, it is a more productive option than corn, and is of greater social benefit, because its production requires a larger labor force. It can also help to revive local economies as a crop ideally suited to family farming.