cassava Archives - Page 2 of 14

Grace Kamanga from the Department of Agriculture Services (carrying leaves) and casual workers mixing chopped cassava foliage and roots. Photo credit: Judith Chikoti (DARS)

Cassava silage increasing milk production while saving on feed costs

Natural pastures and crop residues are used as livestock feed in the dry season for dairy animals. However, dairy production in Malawi is constrained by energy and protein deficiencies due to a high dependency on these natural pastures. Researchers have identified using cassava leaves to make silage or hay as an excellent strategy to supplement…

State Minister of Agriculture, Honorable Jean Chrisostome Ngabitsinze, giving a speech.

Rwandan farmers name new cassava varieties during the Cassava Week

An association of farmers in Rwanda, the Ingabo Syndicate, in collaboration with the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) and their partners, held Cassava Week 2020 from 17 to 19 November. The State Minister of Agriculture, Honorable Jean Chrisostome Ngabitsinze, officially kicked off the event at the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources….

Biofortified cassava processed into gari.

Biofortified cassava: Researchers call for gender-responsive strategies to improve food and nutrition security and reduce poverty in Nigeria

Market demand is a key driver of the production of biofortified cassava for male adopters and farmers. However, for women, consumer acceptance, preference, and market coupled with the health benefits of biofortified cassava—mainly targeting children and pregnant women—are the motivation for adopting and processing. A study to identify gender-based constraints affecting the production, processing, and marketing activities of biofortified cassava in Oyo and Benue states has established this fact. The study carried out by researchers from IITA, Association of Uganda Professional Women in Agriculture and Environment (AUPWAE) Gender and Development…

A farmer proudly displays TME419 cassava variety

Nigeria approves new names for top performing cassava varieties

The Federal Government of Nigeria on Wednesday evening approved new names for 10 improved cassava varieties, as part of efforts to brand the root crop for easy identification, cultivation and marketing of cassava stems. The branded varieties comprise 6 released varieties and 4 yet-to be-released varieties. The released varieties and their new names are as…

The mobile cassava processing plant: A solution to cassava business challenges

On 25 August, the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) Cassava compact team of IITA hosted the Ogun State farmers’ group from the Abeokuta Chamber of Commerce Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (ABEOCCIMA) at the Institute’s headquarters. The group came on a tour of IITA’s facilities and the mobile cassava processing plant. The visit also aimed to explore possible partnerships with IITA in accessing agricultural technologies for…

New disease-resistant cassava varieties introduced in Rwanda

Rwandan farmers lack improved cassava varieties resistant to the main cassava diseases; Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD) and Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD). The diseases have affected cassava productivity, threatening the income and food security in the country. “There are two main diseases that attack cassava in Rwanda and the region, CMD and CBSD. The latter…

Project’s screen house at Rubona station

New disease-resistant cassava varieties introduced in Rwanda

Rwandan farmers have lacked improved cassava varieties resistant to the main cassava diseases, namely Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD) and Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD). The diseases have since 2014/15 affected cassava productivity, hence threatening the incomes and food security of many people in the country. “There are two main diseases that attack cassava in Rwanda…

Manioc 21: Changing lives of farmers in Central Africa

The project Cassava of the Twenty-First Century, code named Manioc 21, has helped improve the lives of farmers in Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Manioc 21 was jointly executed by the Technical Center for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), IITA, and the Regional Platform of the Farmers Organizations of Central Africa (PROPAC)….

IITA empowers Ogoni youth on agribusiness for sustainable livelihoods

The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Ministry of Environment in partnership with IITA, under the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), commissioned a cassava processing factory in Korokoro Community, Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State. The Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abubakar, represented by the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Marvin Dekil, during the commissioning, noted…

DG Nteranya Sanginga talking about the transition of the BASICS project from phase I to II.

IITA launches BASICS-II project

On 25 June, IITA launched the second phase of the project Building an Economically Sustainable and Integrated Cassava Seed System (BASICS II). With a duration of 5 years, BASICS II will be led by Project Manager Lateef Oladimeji Sanni, former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development), Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria. The BASICS project was first launched…