Cassava: from poor farmers crop to pacesetter of African rural development

Dixon, A.G.O., Bandyopadhyay, R., Coyne, D., Ferguson, M., Ferris, R.S.B., Hanna, R., ... & Ortiz, R. (2003). Cassava: from poor farmers' crop to pacesetter of African rural development. Chronica Horticulturae, 43(4), 8-15.

Cassava(Manihot esculenta), a root crop originating in Tropical America, has been called Africa’s food insurance but vital as that is, it has the potential to be much more. Already, cassava provides more than half of the dietary calories for over 200 million people in sub-Saharan Africa (about half of the total population). It also contributes substantial amounts of protein, minerals (iron and calcium) and vitamins (A and C) through leaf consumption (Table 1) though to a much smaller population at the present time.