29 results
An economically sustainable integrated cassava seed system! Cassava is a major food and industrial crop in many African countries. However, until recently, there was no formal seed system for cassava. Most farmers relied on replanting old stems that were low-yielding and often infected with diseases. This traditional practice limited productivity and spread pests and diseases. The Building an Economically Sustainable Integrated Cassava Seed System (BASICS) model was developed to address this. It creates a complete and sustainable cassava seed system. It links farmers, seed entrepreneurs, regulators, and processors into one coordinated framework. The goal is to ensure that disease-free, improved varieties reach farmers reliably and consistently. This model has already been tested and applied in Nigeria and Tanzania.
Virus diagnostic tool for cassava seed health certification by seed producers and seed certifiers. Cassava virus indexing uses PCR and LAMP diagnostic methods to detect and eliminate virus-infected cassava planting materials. It ensures virus-free plants for seed production, improving seed quality, crop resilience, and food security. Key costs include lab setup (USD 20,000) and sample testing (USD 3/sample). Training for staff and collaboration with research and seed certification bodies are crucial for successful implementation.
Sell Smart, Grow Fast The Marketing Strategies technology is a toolkit designed to help cassava seed producers improve market access, visibility, and demand for certified seeds. It provides tools for understanding customer segments, developing effective pricing models, and leveraging both digital and traditional marketing channels. By enhancing seed producers' ability to engage with farmers, build trust, and promote high-quality seeds, the toolkit supports sustainable business growth and addresses key challenges in seed marketing, such as low market awareness, distribution inefficiencies, and poor customer engagement.
Building stronger cassava seed businesses for African seed entrepreneurs and farmers. The Cassava Seed Association Model (CSAM) was developed as an institutional support system to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of cassava seed entrepreneurs. The model promotes the formation of structured associations of cassava seed producers, which offer collective benefits such as certification, access to finance, capacity building, and policy advocacy. This approach aims to reduce inefficiencies, improve seed quality, and strengthen market linkages, ultimately leading to a more resilient and sustainable seed production system. Its has been successfully validated in countries like Nigeria and Tanzania and is currently being scaled in Rwanda and Kenya. Over 2,700 seed entrepreneurs have benefited from this model, which addresses many of the challenges faced by individual seed producers in the cassava seed industry.
Transforming Cassava Farming Through Entrepreneurial Innovation! Cassava is a staple crop in Sub-Saharan Africa, crucial for food security and income generation. However, traditional cassava seed systems have been informal and unsustainable, relying on farmer-to-farmer sharing and sporadic free distributions by governments and NGOs. This approach has led to the widespread use of low-quality, disease-prone planting materials, resulting in reduced yields and limited adoption of improved varieties. The Cassava Seed Entrepreneur (CSE) Business Model offers a structured, market-driven solution to revitalize the cassava seed system. It empowers rural men, women, and youth to become certified seed entrepreneurs who produce and sell high-quality cassava planting materials. By integrating training, digital tools, and strategic partnerships, the model ensures the availability of clean, certified seeds, enhancing productivity and livelihoods.
Breeder & Foundation Cassava Seeds—Always Within Reach This technology enables seed companies and certified producers to multiply and supply breeder and foundation cassava seeds directly from research centers. It follows national seed certification standards, uses both in-house and outgrower schemes, and ensures that farmers and seed entrepreneurs get access to clean, high-quality planting material. Registration with seed authorities and proper field inspection are required for participation.
Improved cassava varieties crucial for enhancing food security, increasing farmer incomes, and reducing poverty in Africa. The technology is a market-driven cassava breeding system that develops improved varieties based on market needs, such as for fresh consumption, processing, or biofortification. It involves stakeholder input, standard breeding methods, and regulatory collaboration for variety release. Adoption is promoted through trials, launch events, and media campaigns, aligning breeding with market demand to boost cassava productivity and value chain performance.
Enhancing cassava productivity through healthy planting material Cassava Seed Quality Management is a national system that ensures the production and distribution of high-quality, disease-free cassava planting material. By regulating and certifying seed quality, governments can control the spread of major cassava diseases, boost productivity by over 100%, and support the formalization of the cassava seed sector for long-term food security and economic development.
Enhancing Cassava Resilience: Targeted Biocontrol with a Beneficial Wasp Biological control of the cassava mealybug (CM) involves introducing natural enemies, such as the parasitoid wasp Anagyrus lopezi, to manage CM populations without chemical pesticides. This method has been successfully implemented in over 20 countries, reducing mealybug populations by about 90% and protecting cassava crops, thereby saving farmers significant amounts of money.
Low-cost hygienic drying technology for high-quality products The Solar Bubble Dryer (ISD) is a mobile, solar-powered drying system designed to efficiently dry freshly harvested cassava roots, reducing post-harvest losses and improving product quality. It utilizes solar energy for both thermal collection to speed up drying and electricity to power a blower for air circulation, making it independent from the power grid. The system is mobile, allowing farmers to dry produce near the harvest site, minimizing transportation costs and spoilage risks. With a drying capacity of 90-145 kg per cycle, the technology boosts food security, supports women’s empowerment, reduces carbon footprints, and promotes sustainable practices. It has a 10-year lifespan, an initial cost of $1,800, and offers a return on investment ranging from 7% to 180%. The technology contributes to multiple SDGs, including those related to hunger, gender equality, clean energy, economic growth, and climate action.
We know cassava The AKILIMO application offers personalized agronomic advice for cassava farmers, aiding in decisions related to land preparation, planting and harvesting schedules, fertilizer use, and intercropping. It predicts yields and provides tailored recommendations to maximize profits. Utilizing decision trees and algorithms based on field trials and modeling, it's accessible as a printable guide, smartphone app, interactive voice response system, and chatbot. Currently available in southern Nigeria and Tanzania, it caters to users of all literacy levels through various formats, including paper-based tools and a smartphone app downloadable from the Google Play Store.
Easy-to-use solution for food traceability Fairfood offers advanced tracking solutions through Trace technology, enabling agricultural and food-related companies to transparently showcase the exact origins of their products. This technology empowers companies to openly provide evidence supporting claims of product sustainability, facilitating transparency and accountability. Whether through public disclosure or inclusion on product packaging, Trace technology enhances trust by giving consumers verifiable insights into the journey and sustainability practices associated with the products they choose.
Weed-free Fields, Bountiful Yields! The "Six Steps Cassava Weed Management" technology is a vital innovation in cassava cultivation in Sub-Saharan Africa. It offers a comprehensive approach to tackling the persistent problem of weed encroachment in cassava fields. By addressing key control measures such as site selection, weed identification, herbicide application, tillage operations, plant spacing, and post-emergence weeding, this technology significantly boosts cassava yields. It's a game-changer for cassava farmers, enabling them to achieve higher yields and improve food security in the region.
Reduce pesticide and herbicide losses with IITA's herbicide calculator Widespread abuse of pesticides (including herbicides) is common due to poorly calibrated spray tanks. Farmers overdose or underdose when applying pesticides. The IITA Herbicide Calculator helps farmers and spray service providers to correctly estimate the amount of herbicide to add to backpack sprayers, and promotes herbicide efficacy.
Affordable animal feed for breeders The technology of "Cassava Peels for Animal Feed Production" holds significant importance in Sub-Saharan Africa, where large quantities of cassava peels are generated as byproducts of cassava processing. These peels, if not properly managed, create environmental hazards through uncontrolled dumping and burning. However, their potential as a valuable resource for rearing livestock and fish remains largely untapped. Cassava peels have the potential to serve as an excellent source of feed and fiber for animals, but their utilization has been hindered by drying constraints, the risk of aflatoxin contamination, and poor storability when traditional methods are employed. The introduction of simple equipment to mechanize the conversion of cassava peels into animal feeds offers solutions to these challenges. This technology reduces labor costs, shortens drying times, and improves the shelf life of feed products. By effectively utilizing cassava peels as animal feed, smallholder farmers and agri-food manufacturers can enhance the value derived from their cassava crops and address the scarcity of nutritious animal feeds. Additionally, the mechanized processing of cassava peels into wet cakes and dry mashes presents opportunities for job creation and business development in rural areas of Africa. Overall, this technology not only mitigates environmental issues but also contributes to improving food security, livestock production, and economic prospects in the region.
Extend Freshness, Expand Opportunities with Cassava Flour! The technology of producing High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF) and industrial starches is of paramount importance. It addresses the critical issue of rapid spoilage and mold in fresh cassava roots due to their high water content, a significant challenge for farmers in storing or selling their produce. African communities have long relied on various processing methods to extend shelf life and eliminate toxic cyanide compounds. Traditional cassava flour production techniques do not offer substantial market opportunities for smallholder cassava farmers.
Yellow-fleshed cassava rich in vitamin A Low level of vitamin and mineral in the common varieties of cassava grown by farmers leads to widespread malnutrition and hidden hunger, and numerable desease in the African continent. Therefore, it comes to raise the provitamin A in the conventional cassava throught breeding technics by parking the Golden cassava’s roots with beta-carotenoid for the color caracteristic, these to be convert after ingestion into vitamin A by enzymes as per the need in the body.
Disease-Resistant Cassava Cuttings for Higher Yields Disease resistant cassava varieties plays a critical role in overcoming the challenges faced by cassava farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Cassava, a vital food crop in the region, is frequently plagued by devastating viral diseases, such as cassava mosaic disease and cassava brown streak disease, which harm the leaves, reduce photosynthesis, and result in significant yield losses, sometimes leading to complete crop failure. In essence, disease resistant cassava varieties are instrumental in safeguarding cassava production, ensuring food security, and improving the livelihoods of farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. These varieties represent a sustainable and efficient approach to combat viral infections that threaten cassava crops, making them a vital technology for the region.
Special fertilizer for root and tuber crops The technology "Specialty Blended Fertilizers for Root and Tuber Crops", plays a pivotal role in enhancing the growth, productivity, and resilience of tuber and root crops like sweetpotato and cassava. These specially designed fertilizers provide a balanced mix of essential nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur, addressing deficiencies commonly found in soils across Sub-Saharan Africa. By applying the right nutrient blends at the appropriate time and location, these fertilizers significantly improve tuber quality, crop yield, and the plants' ability to withstand drought, pests, and diseases.
Crop Care in Your Pocket: Nuru App, Your Farming Companion PlantVillage Nuru is a groundbreaking smartphone app that harnesses artificial intelligence to offer real-time offline diagnosis of crop damage symptoms caused by diseases and pests. Initially developed for cassava, it now extends its capabilities to diagnose damage in maize and is expanding to cover other crops, like potato. This free app not only provides instant diagnoses but also fosters community connections among users and offers guidance on managing the identified diseases and pests. This technology is a pivotal tool for farmers, enabling them to swiftly identify and address crop issues, ultimately enhancing agricultural productivity.
Low-cost mechanized drying of cassava using Flash Dryers The technology of "Mechanized Drying of Cassava using Flash Dryers (Pneumatic Dryers)" holds paramount importance in the cassava processing chain. Specifically designed for transforming cassava mash into floury or powdery products, flash dryers stand out for their efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and wide application for solids with low moisture content. Their suitability for producing starch, high-quality cassava flour (HQCF), and powdered fufu has been notably recognized. Flash dryers have been instrumental in revolutionizing cassava processing. They were first successfully tested in the year 2000 by IITA in collaboration with Femtex Starch factory in Lagos, demonstrating promising results. Subsequently, technical support was extended to equipment fabricators in Nigeria, leading to widespread fabrication and utilization of flash dryers for producing HQCF from cassava. Since 2004, the commercial fabrication and installation of flash dryers have expanded not only in Nigeria but also in several other African countries such as Ghana, Tanzania, Madagascar, Malawi, and Zambia. These dryers have been widely adopted and implemented by various projects, government institutions, and private sectors, signifying their pivotal role in enhancing cassava processing for higher value-added products.
Empowering Cassava Farmers: More Yield, Less Labor, Better Quality Mechanized cassava planting and harvesting technology plays a crucial role in addressing the challenges faced by cassava farmers in Africa. With the goal of increasing yields and economic benefits, mechanization offers a faster, more efficient, and cost-effective alternative to manual planting and harvesting. By significantly reducing labor requirements and minimizing root damage, this technology contributes to improving cassava production and the competitiveness of African cassava farmers in the global market.
Extend shelf-life of fresh cassava The technology of waxing fresh cassava roots is a solution designed to address the challenges of rapid deterioration and limited shelf-life of cassava post-harvest. By applying a protective wax layer, it preserves the freshness of the roots and extends their shelf-life from two days to about 14 days or more. This not only enhances the marketability of the roots by protecting them from physical damages but also contributes to food security by ensuring their availability for a longer period. The wax used is safe and approved, ensuring the eating quality and safety of the cassava roots are not compromised.
Transforming Cassava, Mobile Processing for Sustainable Agriculture The Mobile Cassava Processing Plant (MCPP) addresses challenges in cassava commercialization by providing an alternative to immobile processing factories. The MCPP, developed by the TAAT Cassava Compact, is a six-wheel truck with modern processing machinery, an electricity generator, and a loader crane. It facilitates on-site processing of cassava into shelf-stable products, reducing postharvest losses and transportation costs.
Enhance crop productivity, reduce labour costs, and increase incomes with Hello Tractor - the digital platform revolutionizing agricultural mechanization in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the rental of mechanized agricultural equipment like sensors, robots, and tractors to farmers by service companies and private owners is increasing. However, small-scale producers face challenges in accessing these technologies due to information gaps, high costs, and operational risks. Phone applications and data systems offer solutions by enabling contractors to make informed decisions, increase cost-effectiveness, and accelerate business growth. Hello Tractor, a power equipment sharing application, exemplifies this innovation. It connects tractor owners and smallholder farmers, facilitating collaborative consumption through a marketplace where farmers can request and pay for services via SMS and mobile wallets. Data supports various functions, including credit scoring, market intelligence, risk management, and flexible loan repayment structures tailored to crop production seasons and cash flows.
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