A drought-prone country turns to cassava

Stung by the threat of a poor maize harvest, the Zambian government has urged farmers to turn to cassava production in the drought-prone southern and central regions. According to agriculture experts, cassava is hardier than maize because it can grow in dry conditions and does not require large doses of fertiliser. It could just prove to be the answer to Zambia's food requirements, as poor and erratic rainfall in five of its nine provinces have left the country battling yet another drought this year. Until recently cassava was predominantly grown in the Luapula and Northern provinces, where the acidic soil and lower altitude favour the root crop, but trials are now being conducted in the central province of Lusaka, where the soil is alkaline and farms are at a higher altitude. The Lusaka Mitengo Women's Group has begun growing a new cassava variety called Tropical Manioc Selection (TMS), developed by Zambian and regional scientists, which has a higher yield per hectare, is disease-resistant and produces a tuber with a shape that is easier to process. The group, based in the capital, Lusaka, supplies small-scale farmers with cuttings. Agricultural extension officers, working with Steven Haggblade, a senior research fellow from the International Food Policy Research Institute, have been helping women's groups to grow high-yield cassava. Melania Chipungu, a widow who runs a small-scale cassava farm in Lusaka's Ibex Hill area, north of Lusaka, told journalists she had decided to grow the tuber because it was drought-resistant, and also saved on hired farm labour wages. "As you can see, my maize has withered because of the drought, while cassava is growing well - as if the rains are still there." According to Haggblade and Zambian agro-economist Ballard Zulu, cassava has long held a reputation as a less labour-intensive crop compared to maize or other food crops. "Cassava farmers weed only once or twice in the first year and not at all in the second year," noted a paper by Haggblade and Zulu. The easy-farming crop could also become popular among people with diminished energy, such as the aged, the disabled, orphans and those affected by HIV/AIDS. "With high national HIV prevalence rates in rural areas, both government and farmers worry about potential labour shortages in agriculture," Haggblade and Zulu said, highlighting the long-term benefits. According to 'Building on Successes in African Agriculture', a book edited by Haggblade, cassava does not require fertilisers because it is propagated by planting cuttings, making "it accessible even to the poorest small farmer". Research has also shown that the tubers can be grown on the same plot for over 30 years without fertilisers, and yet produce the same yield every year. Despite the undoubted advantages to the farmer, the key to the sustainability of cassava is whether urban Zambians regard it as an acceptable alternative to their staple, maize meal. In a snap poll IRIN found mixed feelings. Ingrid Chisha, an accountant, said it would be difficult to adapt to cassava and suggested the government improve irrigation to ease the impact of droughts on maize production. "To adjust is quite difficult, because we are used to maize," said Chisha. "I have never eaten cassava since I was born." Geoffrey Musonda, a sales manager with a small enterprise in Ndola, provincial capital of the northern Copperbelt province, said he thought cassava caused constipation and would be unlikely to unseat maize as the average Zambian's main meal. The fact that cassava does not require fertilisers was a point in its favour, according to health-conscious Janet Mwape, a small-scale businesswoman based in Ndola. "I like cassava. My main reason against maize is the use of fertiliser," she told IRIN. Cassava has never been marketed commercially, as it is perishable and not easy to handle and stock, but Agriculture and Co-operatives permanent secretary Sam Mundia said the government was working on addressing these problems.