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Staple foods of the rich world—wheat, barley, rice, maize and so on—have undergone long and sophisticated breeding programmes to increase their resistance to pests and pathogens. . . improve their yields and the convenience of harvesting them. . . . But poor countries often have other staples, and these have not usually been subject to such genetic ministrations.
. . . . Cassava, a crop whose starchy roots feed 500m Africans, is in the process of getting a makeover which employs the best that agricultural science has to offer. . . .
. . . . [Cassava] was introduced to Africa by the Portuguese, from their colonies in Brazil, but the strains they brought—or, at least, those that survived transplantation—represent a small fraction of cassava’s genetic potential. African agronomists would like to bring in other New World varieties, to improve their own crops, but they cannot because most such imports fall foul of cassava mosaic disease, a virus that does not exist in South America and which the successful African strains are generally able to shrug off. Dr [Chiedozie Egesi who leads the NextGen Cassava project] and his colleagues are trying to deal with the aliens’ sensitivities by way of a breeding programme based on genomics.
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The prize for all this effort would be to put cassava on a par with the improved crops of the rich world. . . . Dr Egesi thinks his method can be used to improve the yield and quality of flour and starch made from cassava, making it more saleable. And that might have social as well as nutritional consequences. Most African cassava farmers are women. Putting money in their pockets would improve family budgets, and thus the welfare of some of the world’s poorest countries.
Read full, original post: Cassava-nova
