News

Increased yield excites farmers in Ogun and Ondo States — 22 March 2011

Farmers within the catchments of the Cassava Adding Value for Africa (CAVA) in Ogun and Ondo States of Nigeria have hailed the TME 419 cassava variety promoted by the project as an alternative to local low yielding cassava varieties. This news was reported in The Daily Nation Newspaper in Nigeria. The first farmer to harvest from the planted TME 419 cassava stems planted in 2009 late season, Alhaji AbdurRahman Kolawole Otun of Otun Farm, Asooro Village, Ewekoro Local Government Area, said: “The cassava tubers were uprooted and the weight doubled that of the traditional cassava, such as the ‘idi leru’ (root heavy species).”

Otun said after the sales, the money he realised on the TME 419 cassava tubers doubled that of the traditional varieties.

At inception in 2008, Kolawole Otun participated in a C:AVA initiated trial where he planted the old and new cassava varieties on separate land at the same time. He explained that he discovered a great difference during the harvest time both in quality of output and quantity. He stated: “They were planted on different spaces but on the same land size, side by side but the yield from TME 419 doubled that of the traditional cassava.”

At Kolawole Otun’s farm, TME 419 yielded 44.4 tonnes per hectare against the local 'Sanmi' which was 27.6 tonnes per hectare.

Otun, signalled his desire to plant TME 419 this season from the background of his experience and totally believes in the new variety saying, “I look forward to planting TME 419 this season which I have started.” He pointed out that many farmers have approached him for the TME 419 cassava stem, saying he has obliged about 10 farmers and they still keep coming, he added.

According to CAVA-OGADEP Service Provider, Sikiru Adegbola Balogun, the cassava stem has had tremendous success in terms of quality and quantity against all other varieties of cassava given to farmers in Nigeria.

At the C:AVA, Nigeria country office based in the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta; the Country Manager, Professor Lateef Sanni explained that “this major leap in cassava yield is contributing to the sustained supply of raw materials to cassava processing enterprises from farmers who did not have to expand land area under cultivation to do so”.

International Women's Day 2011 — 08 March 2011

NRI is pleased to support the International Women’s Day Centenary to celebrate women’s economic, political and social achievements around the world.

This years theme, decent work for women, focuses on equal access to education, training and science and technology, of which agriculture is a vital part. Yesterday, with the release of the State of Food and Agriculture Report 2010-2011, the FAO stated that equal access to land, technology, financial services, education and markets for women would increase agricultural production and reduce the number of hungry people by 100-150 million.

Gender equality is a core commitment of the C:AVA project. Our approach is to emphasize equitable distribution of benefits, participation and the empowerment of women and disadvantaged groups in project activities, with an aim to understand and address inequalities and different needs along the cassava value chain according to gender and other diversity factors such as age, marital status, ethnicity, etc. Through this we strive to implement gender-appropriate and effective activities, matching approaches and technologies to the social, cultural and economic circumstances of men and women in the five C:AVA countries.

In recent field work in Nigeria, the first country where C:AVA was implemented, women farmers and processors were consulted on the changes that occurred since the project started. Women reported that training they received in cassava production, particularly in the application of herbicides, reduced the amount of weeds on cassava farms and subsequently their time spent weeding. Higher cassava yields were also reported to have contributed to an increase in the quantity of processed cassava products they sold (including their traditional products of gari and fufu), and subsequently increasing their profits. In addition, training in hygienic processing methods had attracted more customers to due to the improved quality of their products. NRI, it national lead partner the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (UNAAB) and other partners hope to continue to make improvements to women’s livelihoods through the project by focusing on building capacity of women’s groups and encouraging investment to help safeguard women’s control over income and savings.

Latest briefing documents — 07 October 2010

• Brief no. 1: Challenges for Extension Services in HQCF Value Chains
• Brief no. 2: Linking smallholders to markets

New Director for Natural Resources Institute — 23 February 2010

The University of Greenwich has announced that it has appointed the Director of the C:AVA project, Professor Andrew Westby, to be the next Director of the Natural Resources Institute (NRI). He will take up his new post on 1 May 2010 and will replace Dr Guy Poulter who will be stepping down after successfully leading the Institute for the past eight years.

Project launch workshop held in Ghana — July 2008

A project launch workshop was hosted on 10 July 2008 by the CSIR-Food Research Institute at the Erata Hotel Accra. The aim of the workshop was to inform key stakeholders about the project and initial activities. The workshop was chaired by Professor Owusu Benoah, Director General of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. The Hon. Minister of Food and Agriculture, represented by the Chief Director of Agriculture, and the Hon. Minster of Education, Science and Sport, represented by the Deputy Minister, gave keynote addresses.

A project overview was presented by Andrew Westby, Project Director, and a detailed work programme for the formative studies was presented by the Country Manager, Dr Nanam Tay Dziedzoave. Goodwill messages and statements of key issues were made by Mr AA Agyekum, coordinator of the IFAD-funded Root and Tuber Improvement and Marketing Programme and Mr J Faalong, Coordinator of the West Africa Agriculture Productivity Programme. There then followed a question and answer session for stakeholders to seek clarifications and raise key issues. The workshop was attended about 90 participants that included representatives from the private sector, public sector, farmers groups and NGOs. Over the next two months the project team will undertake formative studies that will lead to a specific detailed country strategy.

Project information workshop held in Nigeria — June 2008

A project launch workshop was hosted on 16 June 2008 at the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria. The aim of the workshop was to inform key stakeholders about the project and initial activities. A project overview was presented by Andrew Westby, Project Director, and a detailed work programme for the formative studies was presented by the Country Manager, Lateef Sanni.

Goodwill messages and statements of key issues to be considered by the project were made by: the National Vice President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, national President of All Nigeria Cassava Processors and Markers Association, Director-General of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Representatives of Ogun and Ondo States Agricultural Development Programmes and representatives of end user industries including Dangote Flours Nigeria PLC, UAC Foods PLC and Nestle Nigeria PLC.

There then followed a question and answer session for stakeholders to seek clarifications and raise key issues. The workshop was attended by over 200 participants from the private sector, public sector, farmers groups and NGOs. Over the next two months the project team will be carry out a value chain analysis, scoping and gender studies that will inform a more detailed country strategy.