Baba Alphonse is a 60-year-old farmer from Ogoukpate Village, northern Benin. He all but abandoned cassava and maize farming were it not for IITA’s intervention.

IITA scientists are a step closer to making a breakthrough in developing cassava that is resistant to both the cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) and the cassava mosaic disease (CMD) in Eastern and Central Africa.

This article describes the results of a study by IITA and partners on Tanzanian farmers’ understanding and perceptions of genetically modified crops.

IITA launches a USAID-funded project called “Unleashing the Power of Cassava in response to the food price crisis (UPoCA)” to further increase cassava production in farmers’ fields by 30% in seven sub-Saharan African countries.

Kirsten Jørgensen and Birger Lindberg Møller describe their work on reducing the level of toxic cyanogenic glucosides in different parts of cassava, the tropical tuber that is a staple to millions in Africa.

Agroenterprise Development Specialist Melba Davis-Mussagy explains how micro (small) and medium-scale enterprises in cassava can be used to fuel economic development in Nigeria.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has called for more research on the tropical root crop cassava to help poor countries cope with rising food and oil prices. Cassava is a staple food for millions of poor people in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Asia, providing as much as a third of daily calories.