The management of cassava toxicity and its changing sociocultural context in the Kei Islands, Eastern Indonesia

Over a period of 150 years the Kei Islands have undergone environmental

change, from rainforest to dryland savanna woodland.

This has been accompanied by a shift in starch staple from sago,

tubers, and grain to cassava. We show how this has been an effective

ecological adaptation with social ramifications, not least the

adoption of bitter cassava as a cultural identity marker. One of the

problems of bitter cassava diets where people have become dependent

upon them in poor parts of the Old World tropics are the effects

of toxicity. We show how through a combination of factors and

strategies this has not been a major issue in the Kei Islands, and

how through a government-assisted agricultural project, attempts

are being made to build upon this successful transition. The

viability of present trends are evaluated.