Adding value to cassava for diverse markets and uses. Eco-efficient agriculture for improved livelihoods in Asia
Abstract
Cassava tolerates high temperatures and periods of drought, and as a rootcrop it is more resilient to Asian weather extremes (e.g typhoons), making it a potentially important food security source when facing climate change. No longer seen as a last resort for the chronically poor, cassava is now grown extensively throughout Southeast Asia as a cash crop, with a global export value of over US$3.6 billion as fresh and dried roots and cassava starch. An estimated 8 million rural households - about 40 million people - across Southeast Asia depend on cassava as an income earner and “stepping stone” out of poverty. As a CIAT Asia priority theme, “Adding value to cassava for diverse markets and uses” identifies and develops value-addition innovations for the crop to better contribute to the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Key research and development impact targets are: diversified cassava value chains through improved varieties and crop management; reduced crop losses from environmental stress; and increased efficiency and use of cassava in agri-food systems.
Citation
CIAT. Adding value to cassava for diverse markets and uses. Eco-efficient agriculture for improved livelihoods in Asia. International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Hanoi, Vietnam (2015) 4 pp.