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Study on Cassava in Malawi now available

A new “yellow series” study from our research in Malawi on cassava value chains is now available online. The study deals with agricultural innovations in cassava value chains in Malawi and was carried out in cooperation with IITA and GIZ in Lilongwe, Malawi and GIZ BEAF in Bonn, Germany. The interdisciplinary research team suggests that generally cassava is a suitable crop for smallholders in the 21st century, but it is not a silver bullet either.

Cassava is after maize the most important staple food crop in Malawi. Different varieties of cassava allow for both commercial and subsistence production.Since Malawi is very drought prone, the drought-resilient cassava is an attractive alternative crop for it. Specific entry points and recommendations are made in order to improve pro-poor growth of small-scale cassava farmers. The study concludes that improved smallholder participation in the cassava value chain is a valuable, complementary strategy for smallholder diversification provided that it doesn’t compromise household food security.

The Study is available for download here.


Malawi II