Kenya Agricultural Research Institute Launches Wonder Cassava Seeds
New Seeds Are 400% More Productive
New varieties of cassava seeds that are four times as productive and far more drought-and-virus-resistant than currently available seeds have been developed by Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) a Rockefeller Foundation grantee. These new seeds will be studied to see just how effective they will prove to be in a three-year pilot project, “Cassava Village Processing Projects,” supported by the Foundation’s Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the Farm Concern.
In Africa, cassava is consumed by roughly 800 million people. It can also be used as animal feed. The three- year project will be the first of its kind in the region and aimed at gradually turning East Africa into a multi-billion dollar hub for the cassava industry.
EXCERPT OF ARTICLE:
“For long regarded as “poor man’s” food, nine new improved cassava breeds have been released. These new varieties are high yielding, fast maturing, drought and cassava mosaic virus resistant and with low cyanide levels.”
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