Forskere og landmænd har høje forventninger til nye arter af cassavaplanten og deres evne til at modstå tørke.
YAOUNDE, 13. november, 2012 (IRIN): Cameroon’s National Development Programme for Roots and Tubers (PNDRT) has distributed seedlings of a new high-yield, pest-resistant variety of cassava to 1,000 smallholder farmers – most of them women – all over the country with a view to buying back cuttings from them to multiply distribution in coming years.
While regular cassava varieties produce 9-10 tons per hectare, these improved varieties can yield as much as 20-35, according to Rachid Hanna, country representative with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and PNDRT. The two institutions have been working since 2005 to develop these new species, with backing from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Cassava is the second most important source of carbohydrates in sub-Saharan African, after maize, and is eaten by around 500 million people globally every day, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Every year 280 million tons are produced, with half the supply coming from Africa.
The crop is seen as key to boosting food security amid climate change Regular varieties are considered by Cameroonians to be a “crop of last resort” as they can grow on poor soils and in difficult climatic conditions, and require little to no fertilizers.
Læs videre på: http://irinnews.org/Report/96767/CAMEROON-New-cassava-species-could-boost-food-security
Begynd fra: “About 80 percent of Cameroonian households…”
