Cassava- based systems in sub-saharan Africa

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African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI):
Taking agronomy to scale in cassava-based systems
in sub-Saharan Africa
Overview of ACAI
presentation to participants at the Annual work plan and review workshop
December 5 - 7, 2016
By A. Jalloh, et al

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Introduction – Tackling the yeild gap
A yield of 30 – 40 t/ha is
attainable in Africa, as has
been shown by well
managed on-farm trials
(Fermont, 2009)
Designated project
countries in Africa
Nigeria, Tanzania, DRC,
Ghana and Uganda

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Attainable cassava yields at different levels
of agronomic interventions in East Africa

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Key Challenges in taking cassava
agronomy to scale
• Inadequate information on cassava growth and nutrient
requirements to develop best agronomic practices,
• lack of site-specific recommendations to reduce the cassava
yield gap based on smallholder farmer resources and
production objectives,
• lack of a decision support framework to interact with partners
and farmers and bring such recommendations to scale
• limited scientific capacity in the NARS
• Ineffective linkage between research and end users of relevant
research products
• Inadequate and haphazard political will for agricultural
development including cassava

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ACAI objectives
Reducing the
yield gap
Reducing the
extension
support gap
Generating basic information on
cassava growth and nutrient
requirements to enable the
development of improved agronomic
recommendations
Developing site specific
recommendations based on
smallholder farmer resources
and production objectives
enabling farmers to reduce
cassava yield gaps
Developing a decision support
framework for development
partners interacting with
smallholder cassava farmers that
allows bringing recommendations
to scale
Developing scientific capacity
within the national research
systems by engaging them in
transformative cassava R4D

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Implementation framework
Need-oriented approach
(i) Address the cassava agronomy
needs expressed by
development partners as priority
needs,
(ii) project activities will be
embedded in existing
smallholder dissemination
networks,
(iii) the project will facilitate
extension agents to deploy
decision support tools/tools with
direct beneficiaries (mainly
smallholder farmers), and
(iv) an effective ME&L framework
will underpin all the above

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Partners and use cases
• Fertilizer
recommendations
• Fertilizer blending
• Cassava intercropping
• Best planting practices
• Scheduled planting
• High starch content

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Strategic partners
• Catholic University of Leuven (K U Leuven-Belgium), Wageningen
University and Research (WUR-Netherlands), Federal Institute of
Technology (ETH- Switzerland);
• International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI)
• African Soil Information Service (AfSIS)
• The African Soil health Consortium (ASH-C) in collaboration with the Centre
for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI)
• CIAT

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The various Work Streams around which
ACAI is conceptualized

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Capacity development of national institutions to
engage in transformative cassava agronomy R4D
• Enhanced capacity of national research institutions to conduct
effective cassava agronomy research
• Enhanced capacity of national research institutions to develop
and manage standardized databases
• Enhanced skills of national research institutions in geospatial
data analysis (in coordination with AfSIS)
• Strengthened capacity of national research institutions and
primary development partner organizations in project
management
• Standardized soil and plant analytical laboratories network
including Standard Operating Procedures to support cassava
agronomy

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Capacity Strengthening
Category/Training Nigeria Tanzania
Male Female Male Female Total
1 Post graduate
i. PhD 01 03 01 01 06
ii. MSc 04 01 03 - 08
Total 05 04 04 01 14
Female total and % 5 (35%)
2 Short term training
i. Modelling, non-destructive
sampling and data
management
13 07 08 03 31
ii. Project Management 08 09 09 05 31
Total 21 16 17 07 61
Female total and % 23 (38%)

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Tools developed
• A cassava fertilizer blending decision support tool for the fertilizer blending industry
developed and validated
• A cassava fertilizer site-specific recommendation decision support tool for extension agents
developed and validated
• A best planting practice decision support tool for extension agents/farmers developed and
validated
• A cassava intercropping decision support tool for extension agents/farmers developed and
validated
• A staggered planting decision support tool for farmers supplying the processing sector
developed and validated
• A decision support tool advising on best agronomic practices for high root starch content at
harvest for farmers supplying the processing sector developed and validated
• Specific decision support tools and tools developed within the context of cassava value chain
initiatives, managed by partners

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A typical tool layout

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CHALLENGES
• Operationalizing the Treasury Single Account (TSA)
system in Nigeria
• Prevailing kidnappings in Nigeria
• Abrupt cessation of rains in Tanzania
• Irregular funding to some development partners
• Inadequate capacity of some development partners

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Project Advisory Committee
Ex Officio members
• Bernard Vanlauwe, IITA –Director of Central Africa and Principal Investigator
• Lawrence Kent, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• Shamie Zingore, IPNI
Secretary to the Committee: Abdulai Jalloh, Project Coordinator
Nr Name Nationality G Organization
1 Linley Chiwona-Karltun Malawi F Swedish Agricultural University, Sweden
2 Alfredo Alves Brazil M EMBRAPA, Brazil
3 Azara Ali-Mamshie Ghana F Ministry of Agriculture
4 Ezumah Humphrey Nigeria M International Consultant/ Ex-IITA Agronomist
5 Reinhard Howeler Netherlands M Cassava consultant/CIAT emeritus
6 Dunstan Spencer Sierra Leone M International Consultant/Ex-IITA Director of
Resource and Crop Management Program
7 Alphonsus Onwuemeka Nigeria M Director of Extension, Ministry of Agriculture
8 Hussein A. Mansoor Tanzania M Asst. Director Crop Research, Ministry of
Agriculture, Tanzania

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ACAI Goal
ACAI will engage over 150,000
households including at least
30% women farmers in the target
countries and lead to the creation
of a value of at least US$ 40
million.