Abstract
The massive deforestation of wild tropical and subtropical forests causes damage to the entire surrounding ecosystem. It affects soils, habitats, biodiversity, and the water cycle. To reduce deforestation, cassava (Manihot esculenta) can become a potential ally when grown on soils already degraded by deforestation, generating economic, social, and environmental benefits as a circular bioeconomy. On the one hand, we have the ‘Opportunity Cost’, that is, the idea that labor is used to cultivate degraded lands while preventing this labor from continuing to deforest forests. On the other hand, cassava not only provides food and retains degraded soil, but when its waste is used as an input in cement manufacture, the pollution rates of this industry are reduced, and its resistance and hardness capacity increase. We aim to carry out an open multidisciplinary sociotechnical analysis, which we call sociotechnical systems theory, adding social communicative capacities to benefit the resilience of forests.
Methodology
The methodology consists of qualitative documentary analysis based on the keywords used, i.e., circular bioeconomy, sociotechnical change, cassava, tropical and subtropical wild forests, resilience, sustainable development, and cement industry.
Results
Culturing cassava on degraded soils demonstrated significant benefits, including soil protection, the socio-ecological resilience of forests, and the generation of employment opportunities.
The use of cassava waste in the cement industry was found to reduce dependence on highly polluting materials, providing a sustainable alternative that improves the socioeconomic conditions of local communities.
Conclusion
Cassava cultivation can significantly contribute to the resilience of tropical and subtropical forests by promoting sustainable practices and socioeconomic development. This approach offers a viable solution to integrate circular bioeconomy and sociotechnical change in the forestry and cement industry.