Cassava production marketing and utilization in Meghalaya, India: results of a value chain assessment.

The scoping study of RTCs in Meghalaya led by FoodSTART+ and LAMP in 2016 recommended conducting a cassava value chain study in key cassava producing areas in Meghalaya to strengthen the value chain and increase benefits to farmers. This study was conducted in September-October 2017 with the overall objective of identifying major constraints in cassava production, marketing and use, and opportunities for interventions that could significantly increase returns for farmers and processors; specifically studying all aspects of cassava value chain in Meghalaya. These pieces of information will be used to plan LAMP/MBDA activities in the cassava sub-sector. This study followed a value chain analysis approach and involved a cross-sectional data collection among a range of stakeholders and value chain actors through review of secondary data, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and surveys. The study was conducted in the main cassava producing districts of East Garo, West Garo, and West Khasi hills as well other important markets dealing with cassava including Shillong

Technical Report: Market opportunities and value chain analysis of fresh cassava roots in Uganda.

European UnionInternational Fund for Agricultural Developmen

Sweet potato wastes in major pig producing districts in Uganda: An opportunity for investment in silage technologies

This study was undertaken to assess the potential for sweet potato silage making business by estimating sweet potato vines and root wastage and assessing the economic feasibility of investing in sweet potato silage. Information was collected through key informant interviews, secondary data review, sweet potato root peeling and weighing, focus group discussions with pig and sweet potato producers covering a sample of 180 farmers. Semi-structured interviews with 240 respondents (120 sweet potato farmers, 60 pig farmers and 60 sweet potato traders) were also conducted. The results showed that sweet potato production is seasonal with substantial wastage of sweet potato components existing across the various nodes of the sweet potato value chain. The study concludes that there is an opportunity for investment in sweet potato silage business that has the potential to reduce wastage of sweet potato and bridge the feed scarcity gap faced by pig farmers

Effectiveness of cassava stem pruning for inducing delay in postharvest physiological deterioration (PPD) of fresh roots

European UnionInternational Fund for Agricultural Developmen

Post-harvest management and associated food losses and by-products of cassava in southern Ethiopia

Improved (high yield and disease resistant) cassava varieties were introduced into Ethiopia around the onset of the twenty-first century, as a potential food security crop. At present, limited information is available from the country on post-production aspects of the value chain (VC) and related food losses. The lack of such data prevents policymakers and VC actors from taking steps towards improving VC efficiencies, which can have a significant impact on livelihoods and food security. The focus of this study was to examine the prevailing post-harvest practices in the cassava VC in southern Ethiopia and quantify the extent of food losses and associated by-products in the framework of the recently developed ‘food loss and waste protocol’. The majority of the cassava in the study area was processed into dry chips and milled into a composite flour with teff and maize to prepare the staple bread (injera). ‘Critical loss points’ were during sun-drying (4%) and stockpiling at farm and marketplace (30–50%). Insect pest damage was primarily responsible for food losses at farm and market level. The most important insect species infesting dry cassava were identified during the survey. As far as the by-products were concerned, the ratio of leaf:wood (stem and stump):starchy root on a dry matter basis at harvest was 1:6:10. Further emphasis should be on improving processing and storage technologies to reduce food losses and the better recovery and utilisation of by-products, especially the leaves of cassava, which could be a potential source of protein in human diets