Quality cassava cuttings close to the fields
Seed-bulking farms for cassava provide quality planting material to smallholder farmers directly close to their field. Seed-bulking farms are decentralized systems of production of large amounts of cutting from improved cassava varieties that are free of pest and diseases. In addition to facilitating access to improved varieties, these farms reduce the cost of transporting cuttings to the farmers’ field, thus increasing the profitability.
This technology is TAAT1 validated.
from cutting yield per ha each 16 months
Open source / open access
Cassava growing in Africa faces a number of challenges in terms of the distribution and availability of disease-resistant planting material:
The distribution of cassava stem cuttings is problematic as they rapidly lose their sprouting vigor when stored. Moreover, their bulk and weight drive up transport costs, limiting the supply of improved cassava planting material.
Rural communities with poor road connectivity in remote parts of African countries face severe limitations in accessing disease-resistant cassava planting material, affecting their agricultural productivity and food security.
Smallholder farmers often rely on seed companies and institutions with limited geographical coverage, restricting their access to improved cassava varieties and pest- and disease-free planting materials.
The establishment of cassava seed-bulking farms offers promising solutions to these challenges :
The Cassava seed bulking farms technology may be of interest to planting material Multiplier, and users (cassava farmers, aggregators).
Planting material Multiplier
The establishment of Cassava seed bulking farms offers a cost-effective solution to address the challenges of limited propagation and contamination in improved cassava varieties.
To efficiently multiply planting materials, you need:
Ensure compliance with national phytosanitary regulations and obtain a licence for setting up Cassava seed bulking farm activities.
To estimate the profitability associated with using this technology, consider factors such as:
For better optimization of this technology, it is recommended to associate this technology with Disease resistant cassava varieties, Golden cassava varieties (Vitamin A fortified), Cassava varieties with high dry matter and starch content.
Your potential customers include wholesale distributors of cassava farmers, as well as development projects, government agencies, NGOs and aggregators. Establishing robust partnerships with partners is crucial for the success of your Cassava seed bulking farm business.
Users
Cassava seed-bulking farms benefit users by providing access to high-quality planting materials, enhancing yields, and creating opportunities for community-based enterprise development.
As key partners,you can also require planting material multipliers who can efficiently propagate the planting materials.
To use this technology efficiently,
For better optimization of this technology, it is recommended to associate this technology with Disease resistant cassava varieties, Golden cassava varieties (Vitamin A fortified), Cassava varieties with high dry matter and starch content.
Evaluating these aspects will help determine the potential profit realised from implementing the Cassava seed bulking farm technology.
Adults 18 and over: Positive high
The poor: Positive high
Under 18: Positive low
Women: Positive high
Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable
Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement
Biodiversity: Positive impact on biodiversity
Carbon footprint: Much less carbon released
Environmental health: Greatly improves environmental health
Soil quality: Improves soil health and fertility
Water use: Same amount of water used
Country | Tested | Adopted |
---|---|---|
Democratic Republic of the Congo | Tested | Adopted |
Kenya | Tested | Adopted |
Nigeria | Tested | Adopted |
Tanzania | Tested | Adopted |
Zambia | Tested | Adopted |
This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.
AEZ | Subtropic - warm | Subtropic - cool | Tropic - warm | Tropic - cool |
---|---|---|---|---|
Arid | ||||
Semiarid | ||||
Subhumid | ||||
Humid |
Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.
To establish a Cassava Seed-Bulking Farm, the following steps are required:
Last updated on 22 May 2024