Originally published on cgiar.org by:International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) on Oct 22, 2008

IITA, Nigeria - Scientists from across Africa have stressed the need to re-strategize the cassava breeding paradigm, shifting it from being production-focused to one which specifically targets new and emerging markets, especially for value-added products. The move aims to further help improve the livelihoods of cassava farmers by tapping into high-value markets.

“Cassava has transformed from a poor man’s subsistence crop to an industrial one,” says Elizabeth Parkes, a breeder with the Ghana-based Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Crop Research Institute. "What we need to do now is to find ways to move from just improving production and productivity to identifying and introducing specific traits that markets want."

“We are not only interested in putting food on farmers’ tables but also money in their pockets,” says Alfred Dixon, IITA cassava breeder, during the workshop of the Cassava Breeding Community of Practice in Africa, a Generation Challenge Program-commissioned project being implemented by IITA, held on 20-24 October.

Since the early 1970's, national agricultural research centers of major cassava-producing countries in sub-Saharan Africa have released more than 200 improved varieties, with genetic material from IITA representing the major source of germplasm used in their development.

Through the years, utilization of the crop has grown, with demand for cassava-based products such as flour, ethanol, glucose and starch, among others, on the rise.

New research into cassava must focus on increasing the range of its diversified uses. But to remain relevant, cassava-derived products must, at the same time, be able to compete with with other crop-based raw material. For example, breeders should develop cassava varieties that produce flour which is comparable in quality but costs less than wheat flour. Farmers, on their part, have identified the tuber's bulkiness and perishability as two important aspects that breeding programs need to address in the near-term.

Scientists also agree that new cassava breeding programs should be more proactive in heading-off pest and diseases.

"We need not wait until they (diseases) become prominent before we work on them. Action must be taken at the first sign of an infection,” Dixon stresses. Breeding programs must continue producing varieties that are better resistant to important diseases like the mosaic virus and cassava brown streak.

Prof. Malachy Akoroda of the Department of Agronomy, University of Ibadan, says cassava has gained prominence because of its unique qualities for poverty reduction.

Citing the cassava’s drought resistance qualities for example, Akoroda says the crop has the ability to mitigate the impact of climate change in Africa. He stresses that cassava presents numerous opportunities and what is needed is for African governments to identify and tap those opportunities.

###

Alfred Dixon, a.dixon@cgiar.org
Cassava Breeder

Jeffrey T. Oliver, o.jeffrey@cgiar.org
Corporate Communications Manager
Communication Office

IITA - Headquarters
Ibadan, Nigeria
URL: www.iita.org

Related resources:
Integrated Cassava Project
Cassava chain development in West Africa 
Cassava Enterprise Development Project (CEDP)
Promotion of Cassava Commercialization for Sustainable Economic Growth, Food Security, and Poverty Reduction

About IITA
Africa has complex problems that plague agriculture and people's lives. We develop agricultural solutions with our partners to tackle hunger and poverty. Our award winning research for development (R4D) is based on focused, authoritative thinking anchored on the development needs of sub-Saharan Africa. We work with partners in Africa and beyond to reduce producer and consumer risks, enhance crop quality and productivity, and generate wealth from agriculture. IITA is an international non-profit R4D organization since 1967, governed by a Board of Trustees, and supported primarily by the CGIAR (www.cgiar.org).