The stability of crops and the sustainability of development of agricultural production from the current times were shaped after centuries of continuous cultivation, on the introduction of plants as result of historical events The Columbian Exchange left significant marks on African history and society, arguably nowhere more than in the introduction of American food crops, which occurred within the context of Portuguese trade in slaves and the development of a broader Atlantic economy. Nowadays, in most of the West African countries, the agriculture still remains the predominant sector of the economy, and it is of particular interest to understand how historical and economic factors have contributed to the expansion of some crops and how these changes have impacted the landscapes within the region. Here we provide an historical overview of the agricultural changes on Guinea-Bissau (West African Region), between 18th and 20th centuries; and using the Anacardiaceae family as a case-study, we will discuss shifting cultivation patterns and the current trends of agro-economic transitions in this country. In this work, we used historical records from botanic expeditions, grey literature and herbaria data, which provide unique information that fills a gap on the agro-historical perspective of crops. Also, we explored online Biodiversity Information Systems such as Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) database (https://www.gbif.org/), the most important source of open data for species distribution information worldwide, by focusing on Guinea-Bissau tracking records.
During the 18th century, several reports of Europeans sailors refer to the exuberance vegetation of West African Region, and they considered these lands as endowed with great fertility. The first scientific reports by Portuguese agronomists in the 1880s confirmed that despite the existence of plantations, all agricultural production was in the hands of local producers. The first passing references to cashew trees (Anacardium occidentale L.) was made in the last quarter of the 1800s, and were found throughout the territory at the turn of the century, attributing a considerable potential for commercial exploitation. African countries after post-colonial times, and particularly Guinea-Bissau have moved forward towards a market-driven agriculture. Shortly after independence (1974) in Guinea-Bissau, many governments have begun to recognize the preeminent position of agriculture in the national economy and have introduced policies and programs, which geared towards improving this economic sector. One of the main changes in agricultural landscapes has been the type of crops and land uses present, due to the boom of key crops such as cashew. Due to its economic potential allied to a high international demand for cashew from 1970s, many large areas previously occupied by other crops or natural forest cover were cleared and converted into cashew plantation. Guinea-Bissau’s economy is highly dependent on a single export crop, cashew (98% of export earnings) and its revenue hold 26-35% of household income, which is insufficient to fund more than 2-3 months of household expenses after the campaign, leading to a period of hunger. Thus cashew sector can be seen as a platform for achieving United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), namely to achieve food security and poverty alleviation. As such understanding how cashew Family (Anacardiaceae) shaped the agriculture economy in Guinea-Bissau is of major importance, along the motivations for which other crops/species within the family have not gained such importance, for historically or economically motivations.
Keywords: historical records, agro-economic transitions, West Africa region, cash crop
5f. Food security and agriculture
