Nigerian Root

by Rebecca Enesi, 21.02.2019
Freshly harvested cassava roots from field trials in Nigeria (photo credit: IITA/David Ngome)
Cassava is one of the most important sources of food for the over 180 million plus population in Nigeria. Cassava roots are consumed in various forms; boiled or fried, fresh or fermented, then dried and ground into flour for processing into fufu or garri. The processing of cassava for starch at industrial level has grown immensely over the past few years because more entrepreneurs are stepping into the market to meet the ever-growing demand for starch products.

The supply and distribution of cassava root has not met the industrial demand for a number of years. Solving the problem of a year-round consistent cassava supply to industry is a major challenge. Nigerian cassava farming is rain fed, which means almost all growers plant and harvest cassava at the same time based on the seasonal rainfall patterns. As a result, the cassava supply market goes through periods of extreme scarcity and periods of over-supply varying from season to season.
Psaltry cassava processing factory in Nigeria (photo credit: IITA/David Ngome)
These fluctuations affect cassava root prices as well as the ability of factories to remain efficient and profitable year-round. Low product prices during glut phases reduce income and high raw material prices combined with insufficient quantities of roots in phases of scarcity increase the production costs, curtailing the growth of this significant value chain for Nigeria. One feasible and practical solution would be an expansion of the planting and harvesting periods beyond the traditional seasonal cycle to ensure that factories can operate all year round.
One of the objectives of my doctoral studies is to understand how the length of the period between planting and harvesting of the cassava crop affects the yield and the starch content of the roots. This will help to establish what options farmers have to expand the planting and harvest periods outside the current cropping seasons and still produce a competitive starch yield. Since cassava is perennial and tolerant to drought, the chances of successfully planting and harvesting the crop throughout the year, except for the dry season, enables a close to year-round production. Thus, I am investigating if planting across the whole rainy season from April to November and harvesting all year round can be profitable for farmers and processors.

My research involves intensive field work in Moniya, Ido, and Ado-Awaye local governments in Oyo state, the largest cassava producing state in Nigeria. I am conducting field trials and testing different varieties that are well suited for the different planting and harvest dates across various locations. To do this I need to identify if the crops can withstand periods of drought and if they can recover and fill storage roots with the commencement of rains. Finally, I need to determine if they can be harvested from dry hard soil without major losses and flush less of the carbohydrates stored in the roots.
Cassava field trial in Moniya Oyo state (photo credit: Stefan Hauser)
I am working closely with scientists from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Nigeria. IITA is a leading research organization in Africa with impressive accomplishments in cassava research tailored to suit the needs of small holder farmers. Besides IITA, I am also collaborating with the National Agricultural Research System (NARS), Extension Agents who are directly linked to the farmers in Nigeria and cassava out-growers network of the NIJI and Psaltry processing factories.

Some personal experiences in the field

Transportation to the fields can be very challenging when it rains, because sometimes roads are swept away after a heavy rainfall. We have had many instances in which we had to push the car out of the mud because it got completely stuck and this type of situation increases our time spent on road before the commencement of field work or delays our return home after a long day.

Also ensuring that participating farmers keep their fields clean by weeding regularly can be challenging; we have had cases were farmers’ fields were over grown with weeds due to a shortage of labor. This is in part due to an aging farming population that is heavily dependent on seasonal laborers for weeding. In the rainy season, the demand for laborers is high, costs are high, and this occurs at a time when the farmer has no indication at what price the cassava will be valued during the harvest.

Another important activity in the field is the protection of the on-farm trials against damage by roaming animals, mainly cows and to some extent, goats and sheep. We have had very sad cases of trials that were completely destroyed by cows and goats in the dry season. We had to encourage farmers to make fences around the fields to protect against animals. Arrangements with the herders to keep their animals away from crop fields have so far failed. Despite some of these challenges, we do manage to collect samples and field measurements and do all analyses at the appropriate time.

Some major challenges experienced by farmers

Farmers highlighted a few challenges, such as the need of transporting the roots from the field to the factory within 48 hours after harvest to prevent delivering roots that have already begun to deteriorate, which reduces root quality and thus decreases the price that processors are willing to pay. Farmers also complain about the lack of mechanization which makes harvesting from dry soil unattractive and cost intensive because pulling the roots from the soil is much more difficult and frequent breaks increase losses. Furthermore, the root price is determined by the starch content at the time of delivery, i.e., the higher the starch content in roots the higher the price. Farmers have no indication of the starch content in their roots and thus are exposed to additional price fluctuations and in the worst cases, if the starch content is <15%, their roots may be rejected.
Cassava roots transported to the factory for processing (photo credit: IITA/David Ngome)
Despite these challenges, many farmers have had positive experiences. In most of our trials, root yields surpassed farmers’ expectations and they could see first-hand the effects of proper agronomic management practices. By involving extension agents, lead farmers, and the private sector from the beginning of the activities we attained an early transfer of knowledge that could lead to higher adoption and continuation of new practices. This presents a sense of satisfaction, not only to the beneficiaries of the research work, but also to the research team (IITA). It feels good to see that farmers accept the idea of trying out new methods, modifying them if required, and adopting new approaches in cassava production in the future.

Furthermore, local farmers are able to understand complex scientific procedures due to the hands-on practical approach taught in the field. Local farmers are also now able to maximize their land (i.e., managing plant population to increase productivity).
The exiting part about working with farmers is to see how they move away from their traditional ways and start using their knowledge to make informed decisions on the best possible time for the planting and harvesting of cassava. They are now able to optimize their labor and maximize their profits, thereby improving their livelihood.

About the author

Rebecca Enesi is a doctoral student in the Sustainable Agroecosystems Group at ETH Zürich. Her doctoral research is funded by the Engineering for Development (E4D) Program of ETH Global and is conducted in collaboration with IITA.