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The Need for a Cassava
Network
Crop-specific networks, particularly in Asia, Europe and the America’s
have in the past decades catalysed economic development through designing
and implementing organisations that significantly transformed their
respective agriculture sectors. In most of these networks, plant breeders
were pivotal in implementing interventions that boosted the economic
development.
In Africa, however, such initiatives have
been limited. However, there is a lot of potential for
discipline-specific networks to significantly improve crops that will play
a major role in the economic transformation of Africa. In Eastern and
Southern Africa (ESA), cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) has been
identified as a crop with enormous potential to spur economic development
in the region. This premium position is a result of its dual roles of
food security and income generation.
Therefore, a Cassava Breeders’ Network comprising national cassava
breeders in ESA is needed because of the vital role it can play in cassava
improvement. The network will provide a forum to deliberate specifically
on challenges, solutions and opportunities associated with cassava
breeding in the ESA region. This will be through meetings and sharing of
information, and resources, in a way that will help to reduce unnecessary
duplication of efforts and wastage of resources. The goal of the network
is to increase cassava breeding efficiency and effectiveness in the
region, in order to enhance the contribution of cassava to food security,
human health, and monetary income. The network of cassava breeders will
promote synergies among cassava breeding projects, with spillover effects
in the entire ESA region and beyond. This will be a major step towards
increasing the productivity and commercial value of cassava at both
national and regional levels.
Previously, most National Cassava Programmes were largely involved in
routine evaluation
of introduced cassava germplasm for adaptability, an approach that has
been criticized for limiting genetic progress and adoption. In response
to this challenge, a meeting of cassava
breeders in ESA was convened to; 1) appraise current challenges and
opportunities associated with cassava breeding in the region; and 2)
initiate a cassava breeder’s network. Outputs expected from the meeting
were; 1) to outline some of challenges, opportunities and solutions to
cassava breeding in the region; 2) to have harmonize breeding approaches
for improving locally adapted cassava varieties in the region; 3) to
develop a framework for the initiation of a functional cassava breeders
network; and 4) to develop a road map for the cassava breeders network.
(Click on the links in the left column to read the outcomes of the
meeting).
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