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Nigeria is the world's largest cassava producer
Flickr/IITA Image Library
[ABUJA] Nigeria's drive to boost the quality and processing of cassava, launched two months ago as part of a larger plan to turn the country into a powerhouse for food production, now has a leading cassava scientist at its helm.
Martin Fregene, director of a team of scientists known as BioCassava Plus at the Donald Danforth Plant Center in the United States, has been appointed as special advisor to the country's agriculture minister.
But the approach to agriculture being adopted by Nigeria has been criticised by a board member of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) for failing to acknowledge the needs and capabilities of peasant farmers.
Nigeria's agriculture minister, Akin Adesina — former vice president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa — announced Nigeria's plans to transform its agricultural sector at the IITA two months ago (11–12 August).
Adesina lamented Nigeria's absence from the global cassava market, despite the country being the world's largest producer, citing "poor product quality" for the failure of Nigeria's attempt to export to China.
He added that farmers must look for ways to add value by finding ways to turn their cassava into products, such as flour.
Fregene, who was appointed to lead the revolution last month (15 September) and is assisting Adesina with an action plan said: "We must … deliver a green revolution that will make Nigeria self-sufficient in food production".
Adesina said the revolution will focus on the provision and availability of inputs such as seeds and fertilisers, increasing crop yields and establishing crop-processing zones. It will also aim to reduce pre- and post-harvest losses, provide access to financial services and markets, and improve links with industry.
But John Pickett, an IITA board member and a researcher at the UK-based agricultural research centre Rothamsted Research, was concerned that industrialising Nigeria's agriculture could have "disastrous" consequences for its farmers unless they are involved throughout the process.
"By and large it is just about making money out of industrial agriculture. I am not in any way convinced that the green revolution has much to offer the large majority of farmers in Africa."
"They don't buy seed or fertiliser, and they don't use pesticides. Talking about value chains is nonsense when you have people who don't sell anything. Most [smallholder farmers] go to bed hungry. Food security is really the base for all agriculture."
Pickett said that there are some elements of the revolution he can support, such as the focus on smallholder crops. But he added that small farmers would struggle to intensify production if they cannot afford the inputs.
He said that push-pull technology is an example of a way forward. Cereals such as maize are intercropped with a pest-repellent plant bordered by a plant that attracts pests, leading them to lay their eggs in this trap plant rather than the crop. This kind of push-pull technique, he said, has helped more than 45,000 small farmers in Kenya to intensify their yields.
Fregene told SciDev.Net that research and development would be the driving force behind the green revolution. The plan involves strengthening agricultural research institutions, training a new generation of scientists and improving partnerships with farmers and the private sector "to ensure that the products of research meet the needs of stakeholders".
Adesina said that the revolution would also focus on infrastructure development, improving rural institutions, strengthening farmers' associations, and women and children.
Comments (4)
Jorge Laine ( Venezuela )
31 October 2011
I have seen Amazonian indians harvesting yuca weighting 10 Kg a single root. There are also reports of yearly production of 100 tons per hectare, much more larger than corn or sugarcane (about 30 trons per hectare). Therefore, this is probably one of the best biomass for biofuel production.
Nagib Nassar,Universidade Brasilia,Brasil ( Brazil )
1 November 2011
John Pickett, is right, extremely right on this revolution which is not likely to come. Judging from what I read problem of cassava is not tacked at all, consequently will not to be resolved. Judging from history , and what happened in the last 15 years of living with and repeating such ideas. For a revolution to happen it must have been come 15 years ago when these ideas raised and their excecuters worked. Years passed and millions of dollars wasted , and not any variety developed or adopted by farmers in west or east Africa!!
BUT revolution of cassava production did exist in the decade 1980s exactly in Nigeria. Who led it was a Korean scientist working with IITA called S.K. Hahn helped by African and Brazilian scientists of the University Brasilia and sponsored by the Candian International Development Research Center, IDRC.
See these links
http://www.idrc.ca/EN/Resources/Publications/Pages/ArticleDetails.aspx?PublicationID=163
and
http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-158433-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html
and
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=breeding-cassava
Dr Williams(National Institute, Nigeria) ( Nigeria )
2 November 2011
This is not the first time that a green revolution is being launched. The Shagari gevernment did the same and only to enrich a few businessmen who became the middlemen. Again the Obasanjo government also embarked on the same large-scale cassava production with massive production with nobody to buy them. The YarAdua government also declared a food crisis in the country only for a few individuals sharing over 80billion Nigerian naira. This is no news as far as Nigerians are concerned. Nigeria must subsidize the business of farming which is currently at the subsistence level. Less than 5 per cent of Nigerian farmers are feeding the entire nation of about 150million people. Mr Fregene will do his country good by collaborating with IITA Ibadan and not spending visiting the USA.
Hartmann ( United States of America )
3 November 2011
IITA has studied the Nigerian cassava sector for the last seven years and worked with its farmers for decades. The country is in a fast paced development stage, with powerful private sector momentum. Working on the food value chains is an opportunity that is overdue. In IITA’s judgment the approach outlined by the government of Nigeria is the correct one at this stage of its development.
Three concerns raised by Pickett pertain to the involvement of farmers and the affordability of inputs. These are valid concerns and are addressed in the Government’s strategy. The focus on the value chains will help increase the value of the crop. That is an effective way to improve farmer earnings and is the only way to encourage farmers purchase inputs. Farmers are rational business people. If their crop does not bring in the returns to cover costs and some profit, they will not, and do not invest in inputs. Why should they?
Nigerian farmers have always proven themselves to be responsive and will produce more when conditions demand, but they need help. One way to help them is to protect them from the vagaries of the market. To achieve this in a sustainable way one has to develop the value changes and get the product transformation and distribution going. This path creates primary, secondary and tertiary markets for cassava, or any other commodity, and that is good for farmers.
The strategy of the Government of Nigeria as elaborated by Minister Adesina is consistent with IITA studies and long experiences in Nigeria and elsewhere. Adesina’s strategy also goes beyond boosting production and addresses the much needed element of creating growth and employment. The latter should not be forgotten because it shows a consistent and desirable trajectory of boosting production, moving that production to alternate (more profitable) outlets, and boosting demand via growth and employment.
Hartmann
(former) Director General of IITA
(November 2001 to October 2011)
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27 May 2012