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African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development
Rural Outreach Program
ISSN: 1684-5358 EISSN: 1684-5358
Vol. 18, No. 2, 2018, pp. 1-12
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Bioline Code: nd18030
Full paper language: English
Document type: Short Communication
Document available free of charge
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African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development, Vol. 18, No. 2, 2018, pp. 1-12
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TRANSFORMING RURAL LIVELIHOODS THROUGH CASSAVA VALUE ADDITION, A CASE STUDY OF CASSAVA ADDING VALUE FOR AFRICA PROJECT (C:AVA)
Ogunyinka, O; Guwelamgomba, V; Kaitira, L; Oguntuase, A; Otim, D & Twum-Adaboh, K
Abstract
With the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Cassava Adding Value
for Africa (C:AVA) project is transforming the lives of cassava small holder farmers in
the five countries of Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda. The C:AVA project
has encouraged good agronomic practices and provided farmers with higher yielding and
disease tolerant cassava varieties. These have resulted in higher yields (ranging from
about 16 percent in Ghana to over 100 percent in Uganda), which have contributed to an
increase in the incomes of the small holder farmers and community processors through
their participation in profitable and sustainable value-added cassava chains. Rather than
rely solely on income from processing fresh roots into traditional products, community
groups and large industries have shifted focus to adding value to the roots through
processing into new chains being promoted by the Project. These new value chains
include high quality cassava flour and grits for bakery, confectionery and brewery
industries as well as chips and grits as feed mix into the livestock industry including
poultry. Other chains being promoted include starch and ethanol. Mobilisation into new
value chains ranged from just over 2 percent in Tanzania to a 100 percent in Malawi in
the first year of project operations. By the third year, mobilisation into the new chains
has significantly increased to about 70 percent and above in all countries; 69 percent in
Nigeria and 100 percent in Uganda. Collectively, the five countries have mobilised close
to a million tons of fresh cassava roots that have been processed into both traditional and
new value chains. Over 70 percent of these volumes have gone into the new chains.
These value chains have generated an income of over USD 57 million into these rural
communities assisting to raise the living standards of the resource poor households and
providing employment opportunities in the participating countries.
Keywords
smallholder farmer; transformation; value chains; cassava value addition
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