Grant for Cassava Promotion in Africa

22 December 2006

The W.K. Kellog Foundation has given a grant of US$599 800 to IITA to promote NEPAD Pan Africa Cassava Initiative (NPACI) for sustainable economic growth, food security, and poverty alleviation in Africa.

During 1997/1998, a severe drought, caused by El Nino wind from the Pacific Ocean devastated maize farms in southern Africa, putting the lives of 27 million people in Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Swazil and, Tanzania, and Zambia at high risk of severe food shortage. IITA in response started to promote the production of cassava, a drought-tolerant crop, to reduce the risk associated with the dependency on maize as major food-crop.

In Katimba village, Nkhotakota district of Malawi, farmers now produce cassava with yields of 22 t/ha. Working through the Southern Africa Root Crops Research Network (SARRNET) and in collaboration with the national program, IITA initiated the Masinda Cassava Club in the village as pilot processing center to turn cassava into industrial starch. This was aimed at adding value to cassava production in the village. After one year, the Club sold about 40 mt of starch, worth over US$20 000.

“Prior to the establishment of the factory, cassava had no real monetary value in Katimba village”, says Dr Nzola-Meso Mahungu, IITA/SARRNET Coordinator, adding that “farmers now make over US$800 from just one hectare of fresh cassava sold to the Club”. The grant will help the New Partnership for African Development NEPAD/IITA Facilitation Unit that is being established by NPACI/SARRNET at Chitedze Research Station.

For further details contact:

Taye Babaleye
IITA Public Relations Manager
t.babaleye@cgiar.org

Dr Nzola-Meso Mahungu
Coordinator, IITA/SARRNET
n.mahungu@iitamw.org