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.
Positive or neutral impact
Positive or neutral impact
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 :
This technology promotes transformative impacts, particularly on climate action by reducing fuel consumption in line with environmentally friendly practices. It also supports several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Zero Hunger by supporting food availability and Climate Action by promoting a holistic approach to sustainable development.
How to integrate this technology into your project and make a list of project activities and requirements and plan these activities:
A team of trainers could provide training and support during project installation. Include the cost for training and post-training support for using the technology.
Communication support for the technology should be developed (flyers, videos, radio broadcasts, etc.)
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.
To implement the technology in your country, you could collaborate with agricultural development institutes and seed multiplication companies.
from cutting yield per ha each 16 months
Open source / open access
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