Originally published on cgiar.org by:International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) on Nov 3, 2009

The United States Deputy Treasury Secretary Neal Wolin has praised the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture’s (IITA) research efforts to boost cassava as a food and cash earning crop in Tanzania, citing it as a fine example of how African scientific research can combine with funds from the US government to produce good results.

“It is very clear what you are trying to do. This is a project with many functions to support food security in a flexible way for different social circumstances. It’s a great project,” said Wolin. He was speaking at the end of a visit to the institute’s research fields in Chambezi, close to Bagamoyo town, on 1 November.

He observed research on breeding and multiplying improved cassava varieties and developing news ways of processing and consuming the crop. The Deputy Treasury Secretary indicated that he was very impressed with what he had seen. 
 
The USAID Country Director in Tanzania, Robert Cunnane, who accompanied the Deputy Treasury Secretary, said IITA is making a valuable contribution to food security not only in Tanzania but also the whole of Africa.

Victor Manyong, IITA Director for Eastern and Central Africa, told the delegation that cassava is also one crop that can be used for climate change adaptation and to secure food for people living in marginal areas. Manyong led the IITA and partners' team that received and hosted the US guests.

“Cassava is the second most important crop in Tanzania and many other countries in Africa. The versatile crop is resistant to drought and the whole crop, from the roots and leaves to the stem, is useful,” he added.

“The crop, once considered a ‘poor man’s crop,’ performs well in poor soils and requires little input such as purchasing fertilizers and seeds. It also has a wide range of uses beyond putting food on the table during tough times. “

However, the exploitation of the crop is hampered by many challenges such as viral diseases that are ravaging cassava in many African countries,  Edward Kanju, IITA cassava breeder, explained IITA’s efforts to breed varieties that are high yielding and resistant to the diseases.

Adebayo Abass, IITA cassava value chain specialist, explained to the US team the various ways that cassava can be utilized to provide new sources of income to farmers. These include the production of dried cassava chips and starch for industrial use, and high quality cassava flour for cakes, bread and cookies as a substitute to wheat.

Wolin, who is on an official visit to three African countries - Rwanda, Tanzania and South Africa - toured the IITA-Tanzania station to learn more about the importance of adaptive agriculture research in boosting crop yields in sub-Saharan African agriculture for food security and to underscore the U.S. government's commitment to financing research of this kind.

USAID is one of the institute's biggest investors. A flagship project funded by USAID in Tanzania - ‘Unleashing the Power of the Cassava in Africa (UPoCA)’ - aims to promote cassava  for food security and economic growth by providing farmers with improved varieties and building their capacity in production and processing. The project is being implemented in seven African countries: the DR Congo, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Tanzania.

###

For more information, please contact:

Catherine Njuguna, c.njuguna@cgiar.org
Corporate Communications Officer (East and Southern Africa)
IITA-Tanzania

Jeffrey T Oliver
Corporate Communications Officer (International)

Communication Office
IITA-Headquarters
Ibadan, Nigeria

URL: www.iita.org

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.