Press Announcement
30 April 2008
University announces grant from Gates Foundation to
boost incomes of poorest farmers in Africa
An initiative led by the University of Greenwich's Natural Resources
Institute in close partnership with organisations in five African countries
- Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania and Malawi - aims to significantly
boost the incomes of small-scale African farmers by linking them to new
markets.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has backed the initiative with
a $13.1 million grant. This is one of two projects announced today that
the foundation is funding to support cassava producers in Africa, most
of whom are women.
The University of Greenwich project will link more than 90,000 smallholders
to national and international markets by turning their main crop, cassava,
into processed flour which can be sold at a premium price. Each household
is expected to earn an additional $190 a year by 2012; currently they
live on average incomes of less than a dollar a day.
Professor Andrew Westby, University of Greenwich, is Project Director
of “Cassava Adding Value for Africa” (C:AVA). He says: “Around
300 million people in sub-Saharan Africa, many in rural areas, live on
terribly low incomes. But cassava has the potential to significantly
reduce their poverty; and we expect that by connecting farmers to new
markets we can help them increase their incomes and change their lives.”
A starchy root crop, cassava is a major staple food in Africa. As it
has a short shelf-life and is difficult to transport, prices are generally
low. However, as cassava is drought resistant and can be planted on poor
soils and grows well without fertilisers or pesticides, it is grown widely
by some of the world’s poorest farmers. Cassava is a particularly
critical crop in Sub-Saharan African, where millions depend on it for
food security.
The project will help to develop the market for high quality cassava
flour as a partial replacement for wheat flour in bakery products, other
food products or in the commercial manufacture of products, such as plywood
and paperboard. The new project will enable farming households to process
their cassava, by grating and drying it, and so adding value at the household
level. Women are expected to specifically benefit from the initiative.
Dr Lateef Sanni of the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Country
Manager for Nigeria, comments: “Basic food prices in Nigeria and
other Africa countries have rocketed in the past 12 months, squeezing
the household budgets of many consumers. Partially replacing wheat flour
with cassava flour is a win-win intervention, which will benefit both
consumers and the local farming households who produce it.”
One of the project’s major innovations is the idea of supporting
small and medium scale companies in the private sector to fill a key
role in the supply chain: they will buy the dried cassava from farmers,
turn it into flour and market it to manufacturers. A network of local
organisations will support this process, involving non-governmental agencies,
research institutes, chambers of commerce and others. The principal partners
in each country are national leaders in cassava commercialisation activities:
Food Research Institute (Ghana), University of Agriculture, Abeokuta
(Nigeria), Africa Innovations Institute (Uganda), Tanzania Food and Nutrition
Centre (Tanzania) and Chancellor College, University of Malawi (Malawi).
Together these local and national partners will ensure the long-term
viability of the initiative, beyond the end of the project, expanding
it to involve more farmers in more areas.
“Cassava is key to maintaining food security in Sub-Saharan Africa
and it also presents important market opportunities to replace imported
starches and flours,” said Dr. Rajiv Shah, director of agricultural
development for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Global
Development Programme. “We hope this public-private partnership
will help develop a sustainable market for cassava so small farmers can
market their crops, improve their incomes, and lead healthy and productive
lives.”
The foundation’s Agricultural Development Initiative is working
with a wide range of partners to provide millions of small farmers in
the developing world, most of whom are women, with tools and opportunities
to boost their productivity, increase their incomes and build better
lives for themselves and their families. The foundation invests in efforts
across the entire agricultural value chain, from seeds and soil to farm
management and market access.
In parallel with this project, the foundation is supporting an initiative
led by the US-based development organisation, Catholic Relief Services,
to support the supply of disease-resistant planting material to millions
of farmers in the Great Lakes area of East and Central Africa, where
cassava mosaic disease and cassava brown streak are decimating production.
The two projects will collaborate in some geographical areas, including
Tanzania and Uganda, and share technical information, methods and approaches
to benefit women farmers.
The C:AVA initiative follows a series of successful pilot projects by
the Natural Resources Institute (NRI) at the University of Greenwich
and partners supported by the UK Department for International Development
(DFID) and the European Commission.
Professor Tom Barnes, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research & Enterprise)
at the University of Greenwich, adds: “This is an ambitious initiative
which will make a big difference to the lives of some of the world’s
poorest people. We look forward to working with very experienced partners
in Africa and with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, building
on the success of previous work in this field.”
NRI is an internationally renowned multi-disciplinary centre that carries
out research, development and capacity-strengthening activities in support
of sustainable development. The institute has extensive experience of
working in partnership with African organisations on agricultural development,
food processing and marketing and social development issues.
ENDS
Notes for Editors:
About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives.
In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health
and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme
poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people --
especially those with the fewest resources -- have access to the opportunities
they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation
is led by CEO Patty Stonesifer and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under
the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
For images or more information please contact:
Caron Jones, Head of Public Relations
University of Greenwich
Tel: 020 8331 8248
Caron.Jones@gre.ac.uk
or
Nick Davison, Press Officer
University of Greenwich
Tel: 020 8331 8092
n.a.p.davison@gre.ac.uk
