Authors
Helena Posthumus, Kolawole Adebayo
Journal
Regional Markets
Pages
61
Description
Cassava is an important staple food for many small-scale farmers and vulnerable groups in Africa. It requires less inputs to grow and is more drought resistant than other staple crops, such as maize. Unfortunately, cassava farmers—particularly from remote areas—face restricted market access for their produce, because the roots are highly perishable and bulky which makes them expensive to transport. Other challenges include low multiplication rates of planting material, labour-intensive production and processing, and the relegation of the crop to marginal lands, due to competition with higher-value and higher-status crops. These challenges also make processing by large-scale enterprises less economically viable. But there are opportunities, especially for processing by small-scale farmers. Producing dry, shelf-stable products is cost-effective and is a good way to produce value-added products close to the supply source. C: AVA aims to develop value chains (VCs) for High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF) in Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria and Malawi, in order to improve the livelihoods and incomes of small-scale farmers (especially women and disadvantaged groups). This article will present the experiences of the project in promoting value-added processing of cassava in Malawi.
Scholar articles