Uprooted: Economic change and dietary strategies among upper-land communities, eastern Amazon, Brazil

Many rural Amazonian households continue to rely on their own subsistence activities to meet their nutritional needs. Manioc (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is the dietary staple and is complimented by high-quality animal-source protein (fish and game) and local fruits, especially açaí. Local products are traded to gain access to market goods such as sugar, coffee and oil. Over the past 10-years, increased access to cash from the Bolsa Família Program, retirement pensions and the spike in the price of açai has begun to alter household subsistence strategies. Drawing on longitudinal data collected from 52 rural households located near the Caxiuanã National Forest, this paper considers how such economic changes are affecting subsistence strategies, the sexual division of labor, traditional knowledge and ultimately dietary patterns and nutritional status. These data shed light on the multifaceted ways that commodification of a traditional crop and corresponding market integration are transforming local livelihoods and health.