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https://e-catalogs.taat-africa.org/org/technologies/me-cass-cassava-seed-monitoring-system
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ME-CASS: Cassava Seed Monitoring System

Making Cassava Seed Systems Work Better

ME-CASS is a strategic digital platform that enables development agencies to monitor and strengthen national and regional cassava seed systems. It offers clear data on how improved varieties move through the seed value chain—from breeder to farmer—and provides visibility on key performance indicators such as adoption rates, seed quality, and market reach.

By integrating ME-CASS into large-scale agricultural programs, development partners can ensure more effective resource allocation, improve traceability across countries, and support results-based reporting. The system also enhances coordination among implementing partners, government bodies, and private actors, making interventions more targeted, scalable, and impactful.

This technology is pre-validated.

7•3

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 7/9; level of use 3/9

Adults 18 and over: Positive low

System designed to help monitor and manage the activities of adults 18 and over

The poor: Positive low

System designed to help monitor and manage the activities of the poor

Under 18: Positive low

System designed to help monitor and manage the activities of people under 18

Women: Positive low

System designed to help monitor and manage the activities of women

Problem

  • Lack of data to evaluate project impact: Projects that distribute cassava varieties or support seed entrepreneurs can’t always prove if those seeds reached the right places or were adopted.
  • No common platform for partners and governments: Implementation partners, donors, and ministries often use separate tools, making coordination and reporting difficult.
  • Unclear progress on seed system strengthening: Without monitoring tools, development partners can’t assess the productivity of EGS investments or track private-sector growth in the seed market.

Solution

  • Evidence-based project tracking: ME-CASS helps development partners follow the path of each variety and link it to end-users, enabling better reporting and results measurement.
  • Harmonized data platform for coordination: By using ME-CASS, partners and governments can share updates and visualize seed flows on the same system.
  • System performance analytics: ME-CASS includes indicators to assess EGS output, producer success rates, and variety turnover—key metrics for large-scale agricultural programs.

Key points to design your program

Development agencies can use ME-CASS to improve monitoring, coordination, and impact assessment across cassava seed system programs. Here are the core elements to include when integrating ME-CASS into large-scale projects:

  • Align with national systems: Work with government agencies to host ME-CASS within existing seed certification or monitoring frameworks.

  • Support a core implementation team: Fund or coordinate a small, trained team to manage data collection, validation, and reporting.

  • Define common indicators: Agree with partners on what to track—seed flow, producer performance, variety adoption, or EGS output.

  • Ensure cross-actor coordination: Use ME-CASS as a shared platform where governments, NGOs, and private actors report and view progress.

  • Pilot and scale: Start with focused pilots in key regions, then expand to other countries or crops based on results.

  • Use data for adaptive management: Regularly review ME-CASS outputs to adjust implementation strategies and improve impact.

  • Link to M&E systems: Align ME-CASS data with your program’s monitoring and evaluation framework to simplify reporting.

  • Plan for sustainability: Design an exit or handover strategy to local institutions for long-term use of the platform.

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
Egypt Equatorial Guinea Ethiopia Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burundi Burkina Faso Democratic Republic of the Congo Djibouti Côte d’Ivoire Eritrea Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Cameroon Kenya Libya Liberia Madagascar Mali Malawi Morocco Mauritania Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Republic of the Congo Rwanda Zambia Senegal Sierra Leone Zimbabwe Somalia South Sudan Sudan South Africa Eswatini Tanzania Togo Tunisia Chad Uganda Western Sahara Central African Republic Lesotho
Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country Testing ongoing Tested Adopted
Nigeria No ongoing testing Tested Adopted
Tanzania No ongoing testing 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.

Sustainable Development Goal 1: no poverty
Goal 1: no poverty

By improving seed system efficiency and traceability, ME-CASS supports smallholder farmers' access to high-quality cassava varieties, helping increase productivity and income.

Sustainable Development Goal 2: zero hunger
Goal 2: zero hunger

Ensures reliable delivery of improved cassava varieties that enhance food security and reduce seasonal food gaps.

Sustainable Development Goal 3: good health and well-being
Goal 3: good health and well-being

Indirect contribution through support to nutrient-rich cassava varieties and reduction of unsafe planting materials.

  • Set up the system:
    Create a database using digital tools like ME-CASS, spreadsheets, or other software to store seed system data.
  • Form a monitoring team:
    Identify and train a small national or regional team to manage data collection, interpretation, and reporting.
  • Define key indicators:
    Decide what to track—e.g., seed volumes, variety names, seed producer performance—and set target values for each.
  • Engage key stakeholders:
    Involve researchers, seed producers, certification agencies, and farmer organizations to support data collection and system use.
  • Collect and analyze data:
    Gather field data regularly, update the system, compare progress with targets, and provide feedback to actors.
  • Run a test season:
    Pilot the system for one full cropping season to test data flow, accuracy, and engagement.
  • Scale and review:
    After validation, roll out the system fully and schedule annual reviews to refine and improve performance.
  • Expand to other crops (optional):
    Once ME-CASS is established for cassava, adapt it to other vegetatively propagated crops like sweetpotato, banana, yam, or potato.

Last updated on 27 May 2025