CassQual: Cassava Seed Quality Management system

Enhancing cassava productivity through healthy planting material

The system operates under national seed regulations, combining inspection protocols, phytosanitary measures, and digital platforms. It enables quality assurance from breeder-level seed to farmer-level distribution. National regulators define standards and oversee compliance through certification inspections, while also promoting community-based quality-declared seed (QDS) systems. Tools like Seed Tracker and PlantVillage Nuru support efficient field registration, inspection recording, and disease identification.

This technology is pre-validated.

9•9

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 9/9; level of use 9/9

The poor: Positive high

The technology is strongly beneficial for the poor, for whom cassava is a key source of food and income

Women: No impact

The technology is gender neutral

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

Cassava is known to be one of the most climate resilient crops

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

Boosting cassava productivity is an excellent way to adapt to potential climate change impacts and cassava is less likely to be negatively impacted than other crops

Carbon footprint: A bit less carbon released

Greater cassava productivity can contribute to reduce land usage which has a reduces carbon emissions

Biodiversity: Not verified

Not verified

Environmental health: Not verified

Not verified

Soil quality: Not yet estimated

Not yet estimated

Problem

High spread of viral diseases (CMD, CBSD): Over 40% of cassava plants are affected by viruses transmitted through infected seed, leading to drastically reduced yields.
Lack of effective seed certification systems: Unlike cereals, cassava lacks widespread national certification systems, making disease control difficult.
Unregulated seed quality in informal markets: Farmers often rely on recycled or unverified planting material with low productivity potential.
Inadequate national policies for vegetatively propagated crops: Existing seed policies often exclude or inadequately cover cassava.
Poor traceability and quality assurance: Without labeling or digital records, it's difficult to trace the origin and quality of cassava seed across the system.

Solution

Development of cassava-specific certification frameworks: National regulators can establish clear quality standards tailored to cassava.
Institutionalized inspection and quality control: Government-led inspections ensure seed is free from pests and diseases at all levels.
Integration of digital tools: Tools like Seed Tracker and PlantVillage Nuru enable efficient monitoring and disease identification.
Support for community-based certification (QDS): Governments can legitimize self-certification at local levels to expand access to quality seed.
National labelling systems: Implementing certification labels improves transparency and farmer confidence in seed quality.

Key points to design your project

The Cassava Seed Quality Management System offers a structured approach to ensuring the availability of clean, certified planting material, thereby improving national cassava productivity, promoting gender inclusion, and supporting climate resilience. It aligns with key national priorities and contributes directly to SDGs 1 and 2.

To effectively integrate this system into national agricultural project, the following steps are recommended:

Understand the system’s framework, including seed classification, certification procedures, and regulatory roles.
Assess existing national seed policies and identify opportunities to incorporate cassava into the formal certification system.
Develop or adapt certification guidelines, using tested models (e.g., Nigeria or Tanzania), in consultation with seed regulatory bodies.
Engage local stakeholders through consultative workshops to ensure relevance and ownership at the community level.
Strengthen capacity by training seed inspectors and seed company on certification standards and phytosanitary practices.
Establish demonstration plots to showcase the benefits of certified seed and encourage farmer adoption.
Leverage digital tools such as Seed Tracker™ for field registration and certification tracking, and PlantVillage Nuru for disease diagnostics.
Implement monitoring mechanisms to track progress, ensure compliance, and support continuous improvement.

This approach not only strengthens seed system governance but also positions cassava as a reliable, high-performing value chain within national agricultural transformation agendas

200,000 USD

To set up the system

-

Not yet estimated by the technology provider

20,000 USD

Annual running cost

135 %

Yield increased

IP

Open source / open access

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Nigeria	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Tanzania	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
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.

Goal 1: no poverty

Its contributes to poverty reduction

Goal 2: zero hunger

Its contributes to reducing hunger

1. Baseline Assessment

- Evaluate the current cassava seed system to determine:
- Availability of registered, market-preferred, and disease-resistant varieties.
- Capacity of the regulatory agency.
- Existence of cassava certification guidelines.
- Prevalence and impact of CMD and CBSD.
- Adaptability of existing e-certification systems for cassava.

2. Design/Modification of Certification Guidelines

- Develop or adapt certification guidelines using successful models:
- In West Africa (where CBSD is absent), Nigeria's guidelines serve as a suitable model.
- In East, Central, and Southern Africa (where CBSD is present), Tanzania's guidelines are effective.

3. Update National Seed Policy: If cassava certification is new, collaborate with stakeholders to validate guidelines and incorporate them into national seed regulations.

4. Train Seed Inspection Officers: Provide training on cassava field certification procedures, including disease recognition (CMD and CBSD), and develop strategies to train community-level or QDS producers in self-certification.

5. Certification Labelling: Design electronic labels for each cassava seed category and distribute them to seed producers post successful certification inspections.

6. Digital Monitoring: Implement or adapt digital systems (e.g., Seed Tracker™) for managing cassava seed field registration and certification.

7. Roll Out: Launch the certification system, starting with higher seed classes. Gather user feedback and invest in the system through strategic support, similar to other major staples like maize.