In this region, skewed land distribution and semi-arid conditions go hand in hand with high poverty levels, with 72 percent of the total number of families considered to be living below poverty line. On a country basis, cassava holds the eighth place in planted area and the seventh place in monetary value. There is a serious calories deficit problem in the Northeast, thus constituting a major reason for migration to forest areas and urban centers. Most cassava in the Northeast is gown by tenant farmers who cultivate plots of less than one hectare with generally low soil fertility and uncertain rainfall. Cultivation of cassava varieties with low yield potential also contributes for the low productivity levels observed in the region.
Problems related to technology transfer also determine the low root yields in the Northeast.
Such a concentration of cassava root processing into flour is a very risky situation, as the consumption of cassava flour is non elastic and contributes to significant seasonal changes in prices, showing oscillates during the year. Cassava roots are also increasingly being used as animal feed in the region. In the Northeast region, cassava is the most important source of calories, with a per capita consumption of 43.7 kg of flour, while the Brazilian per capita consumption of flour is only 17.6 kg. Development programs have emphasized increased production through introduction of improved varieties and expanding marketing opportunities through post-harvest utilization. Problems related to technology transfer One of the main problems regarding the adoption of improved cassava varieties seems to be the fact that all the work is carried out in the experimental station, where the evaluation criteria are defined by the researcher.