A mother and child prepares the cassava root. Photo: IITA via Flickr
As food riots in Mozambique and South African strikes over low wages and high living costs have shown, access to food is a non-negotiable (and incredibly necessary) human right.
The Mail&Guardian reports that farmers in seven African countries have been granted a lifeline by the development of a new breed of cassava plant, one which doubles the yield of a single stem from a mere two or three tubers to six or seven edible roots. Even better, it’s not genetically modified in any way; scientists instead relied on the traditional methods of cross breeding and selection to develop the plant over a process that has lasted ten years.
In order to combat drought and severe food insecurity in Mozambique, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Tanzania, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is distributing this new breed to farmers for free, and hope to distribute the stems to 75 000 Nigerian farms by the end of the year.
Cassava is highly nutritious, being rich in starch, calcium and vitamin C, while the leaves provide protein. It is a staple food across much of Africa, and is perfectly suited to surviving the poor soil and lack of rainfall. Moreover, its economic value promises more to African farmers than a steady food supply – its commercial uses include the manufacture of tyres, biofuels, adhesives, ethanol and food for livestock.
Currently, Thailand is the world’s largest exporter of cassava, but the IITA hopes that their new breed will enable greater exports from Africa. However, the danger in this is the potential undermining of the core ethos of the project, which is to develop food security on the continent. Indeed, Peter Hartmann, Director-General of the IITA, has stated that “China could buy almost everything that [is] produce[d]”; which, while heightening economic development of the countries themselves, may create further food shortages among the population.
Let’s hope that this new breed of plant will deliver on its promise to the extent that it solves both the food crisis in Africa, and aids in the economic development of our continent.
