Amaizing Cassava?



Previously, I covered how Kenya has become relatively successfully in the horticulture industry and what motivated farmers to increase productivity using increased irrigation. In this blog post, I will be examining a case study of Zambia and cassava planting, which is one of the staples eaten on the African continent. The background and role cassava plays in food security, and how it fits in with climate change implications will be explored.


In recent years, East Africa has been experiencing a climate paradox, whereby projections in rainfall increase have been met by more frequent drought years instead (Lyon, 2014).  This has triggered debate whether anthropogenic sources have caused this precipitation decrease (Lyon, 2014). Whether the current drought years are an anomaly or a more permanent feature, climate change unequivocally forces many countries to adapt to changes in precipitation and temperature. This makes East African countries particularly vulnerable to this climatic variability as agriculture constitutes an estimated 75% of the workforce (especially in smallholder farms), is a significant contributor to GDP and has implications for food security (Salami et al. 2010). Furthermore, the dominant use of rainfed agriculture makes them increasingly susceptible (Adhikari, Nejadhashemi & Woznicki,2015). This is due not to high annual rainfall, but rather the seasonal fluctuations of rainfall that limit the growing stages of crops (Barron, Rockstrom,Gichuki & Hatibu, 2003). While irrigation can be used to deal with poor rainfall and dry spells in some areas, other measures can also be used to adapt to future climatic changes, especially where irrigation infrastructure costs are high. One potential way is changing the crop grown and cassava is a prime example. 


In terms of caloric intake in Africa, cassava is the second largest contributor and one in three Africans eat cassava as a food staple (Nweke and Haggblade, 2010). Additionally, Africa’s cassava production only accounts for more than half of the world’s total and is also used for livestock feed (Nweke and Haggblade, 2010). One country that has seen rapid growth in cassava cultivation is Zambia, a Central-Eastern African country, where cultivation occurs in the northern and western regions (Barratt et. al, 2006). 
The roots of large-scale cassava cultivation in Zambia
Cassava is an imported root crop from the Americas that has established itself in Africa. For Zambia, cassava was imported by traders and travellers who brought it inland when the Portuguese introduced them to the African coastline. During the colonial era under British rule, cassava was not heavily promoted but used as insurance against frequent famines while maize, another staple, was prioritised (Jones, cited in Nweke and Haggblade, 2010).  Post-independence, government subsidies remained high for maize and guaranteed market access with fixed prices for maize only gave more incentives for Zambian farmers to planting more maize (Jones, cited in Nweke and Haggblade, 2010). However, droughts in the 1980s severely crippled maize production and accompanying pests (cassava mealybug) and diseases plagued cassava crops (Malambo et al, cited in Nweke and Haggblade, 2010). Such crises generated attention for cassava and subsequent controls of mealybug populations and development of high yielding, disease resistant cassava breeds (Nweke and Haggblade, 2010). For example, an improved variety called Bangweulu, doubled the yield of local strands. Simultaneously, the aforementioned droughts prompted subsidy reductions for maize which required expensive inputs (Nweke and Haggblade, 2010).  The gap created in the maize market, coupled with improved productivity of cassava created much impetus for farmers to adopt cassava (Nweke and Haggblade, 2010). 
Figure 1. Graph showcasing the differences 
in cassava produced overtime (Nweke and Haggblade, 2010)
Cassava has seen rapid adoption from farmers - from Figure 1, the amount of cassava produced has grown, from about 200 thousand tons in 1961 to almost 1000 in 2005 (Nweke and Haggblade, 2010).
Why cassava over maize?
Cassava, compared to maize, requires approximately 10% less labour per hectare, only requires to be weeded twice and neither does it require fertiliser inputs (Nweke and Haggblade, 2010). This prevents soil acidification, which degrades soil quality and necessitates greater amounts of fertilisers (Nweke and Haggblade, 2010). Furthermore, planting and harvesting cassava is more flexible (harvesting can be done throughout the year) whereas yield losses for maize may reach 50% due to late planting alone (Barratt et al., 2010). This means during December – February, when food shortages are most acute, cassava is the sole staple food that can be harvested, making it a viable choice for households with food shortages (Barratt et al., 2010). For farmers, another benefit is that, contrary to hybrid maize, cassava propagation does not require seed, further reducing their cost (Nweke and Haggblade, 2010).  Moreover, cassava is more drought resistant than maize, and is “projected to lose up to 8% or gain up to 10% of its yield” due to climate change by 2050 (Adhikari, Nejadhashemi & Woznicki, 2015, p.121). Maize, conversely, is extremely sensitive to climate change and could suffer losses up to 40% (Adhikari, Nejadhashemi & Woznicki, 2015).
Implications
Currently, the greater yields and productivity have meant that Zambian farmers who adopted enjoy greater income, or at least, food security (Nweke and Haggblade, 2010). Longer term however, greater adoption of cassava cultivation over maize could mitigate potential detrimental effects climate change has on food security in the East African region, especially with more unpredictable rainfall events. Granted, this would require greater adoption of cassava as staple food in tandem with processing to remove cyanide poisoning from raw cassava to provide it as an alternative food source to other staples. Of course, cassava is no panacea to food insecurity in East Africa and other strategies such as improved irrigation infrastructure remains relevant. The ongoing 2019 Zambian food crisis is another indicator of how susceptible the region remains to precipitation changes.  Nevertheless, greater cassava adoption presents one possibility that reduces water usage and provides greater insurance against future drought events.

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