June 4 , 2009

Farmer in Kunduma village in Sierra Leone holding cassava

In Sierra Leone most of the population lives on less than one dollar a day, making hunger a constant menace. Crop failures over the past few years, caused in part by poor farming techniques and rising fertilizer costs, have further heightened the threat of hunger and malnutrition. With agriculture being the principal source of revenue for a 3/4 of the population, the drop in crop production combined with the current world financial crisis has caused widespread hardship throughout the country.

To address the basic nutritional needs of the population, USAID in partnership with International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is introducing new agricultural technologies to Sierra Leone that will boost agricultural production for cassava, a staple crop rich in carbohydrates and protein. Cassava is the prime focus of the program due to its many possible uses and its potential for yielding basic food products at stable and affordable prices.

“The project will equip farmers with the knowledge they need to grow and process enough cassava for their families, to store it in the off season and to sell it to generate household income,” said U.S. Ambassador June Carter Perry in a May 21 statement launching the Unleashing the Power of Cassava in Africa project (UPoCA). She noted that the $500,000 UPoCA program in Sierra Leone will involve farmers across 12 districts of the country.

The UPoCA initiative aims to develop improved cassava varieties that last longer after being harvested and are more pest and disease resistant than conventional varieties. The project has the potential to increase cassava production by 50 percent or more, which would significantly enhance the food security of subsistence and small plot farmers, especially women.

The secret of greater production lies in new molecular approaches drawn from the development cassava varieties with built-in resistance to prevalent agricultural diseases and pests. Research in genetics yielded cassava resistant to the devastating cassava mosaic disease, which has blighted crop production in parts of East and Central Africa. This new generation of cassava is expected not only to survive disease but also to expand the use of the crop as a source of starch, dried chips, animal feed and industrial applications. These new uses are expected to increase Cassava’s value to farmers as a cash crop.

The UPoCA project will equip farmers with the knowledge and skills to reduce post-harvest losses. It will also teach farmers how to provide an adequate supply of cassava at affordable prices, and train farmers in the production and processing of the improved cassava varieties.

The UPoCA project is expected to have a number of long-term benefits. In addition to filling empty stomachs, it will provide a secure source of food and nutrients, and boost the income of farmers. It will help promote gender equality by improving the proficiency of women farmers and empower them through education and training. The reduction of hunger and the raising farmers’ living standards is also expected to reduce rural child mortality and improve the health of expectant mothers.

“Our past support to Sierra Leonean farmers has more than doubled agricultural production among beneficiaries,” said Ambassador Perry. “Our current activities will continue to assist subsistence farmers, but we will also help more productive farmers modernize their agricultural practices to enable them to export their products internationally.”