A group of cassava farmers in Murang’a County has welcomed Kenya’s recent approval of Genetically Modified (GM) cassava, a move they say will lead to greater value for farmers while raising the profile of a crop that has long been regarded as poor man’s food.
“As a farmer, it really breaks one’s heart when you visit your farm and see diseased crops. It’s very disappointing,” said Mrs Jane Wainaina, a cassava farmer from Kagurumo village in Murang’a County.
“We’re very happy to hear that scientists are modifying the crop to give it greater resistance to diseases, as that will help us increase yields”.
Mrs Wainaina is the chairlady of Focus Wise Cassava Growers, which brings together cassava farmers from the general area.
She said diseases have posed a perennial challenge to cassava farmers, leading to diminished harvests, and this had prompted some of them to diversify their farming and minimize risks.
“Most of us are small-scale farmers, with an average of an acre per shareholding,” Mrs Wainaina told K24 at her farm in Murang’a County.
“We therefore endeavor to reap maximize yields from the available land. But pests and diseases have often caused us losses in our cassava harvests”.
In June, the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) approved the environmental release of GM cassava event 4046, which is resistant to cassava brown streak disease (CBSD).
The GM cassava developed by the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO).
Mrs Wainaina said that local farmers were happy with the move, as it was a step towards guaranteeing more bountiful harvests in the future to help meet growing demand.
Cassava is gradually gaining traction in many parts of the country, shedding off its negative reputation as a food associated with the poor.
“People have started taking note of cassava and appreciating its food value,” said Mrs Ekila Wanjiru Murigi, a cassava farmer from the region.
“Cassava flour is now widely used to make porridge, ugali and even chapatti and buns. Cassava can also be boiled, or deep fried to make chips and crisps”.
The farmers said that in recent years, cassava prices have risen to match the growing demand.
Mrs Wainaina said that in earlier years, many Kenyans had a rather low opinion of cassava as it was often eaten boiled, which was the only option for the underprivileged. But in modern times, people from all walks of life have shown interest in cassava, and the uptake is growing.
“We started noticing an interest in cassava when agents started trickling to the village from the big towns to buy it. Unknown to us at the time, some of the agents were supplying to big hotels, which had started serving cassava in their menus. This was our signal that cassava was an important food and people were yearning for it.”
From then, farmers in the region decided form the Focus Wise Cassava Growers, a self-help group which has been supporting members with market intelligence and better husbandry for the crop.
The group has also participated in agricultural trade fairs, where members have showcased various cassava cuisines. As part of their campaign to popularize cassava, they have been urging the public to cook ugali, the national staple that is cooked using maize flour, with 50 percent cassava flour. The group has about 120 members and out of these, over 60 are actively growing cassava.
One reason for cassava’s growing appeal is its multiple uses.
“With cassava, nothing goes to waste,” Joyce Nyambura Kamande, another cassava farmer from the region, said.
“From the tuber itself, which we consume as food, to the peelings, which we feed to livestock. We also consume the budding leaves as a vegetable, which makes very tasty stews”.
Thanks to NBA’s approval, cassava now becomes Africa’s fifth biotech crop approved for open cultivation after cotton, maize, soybean and cowpea.
The Murang’a farmers are now hoping to see even more advancements in biotechnology that would provide even superior cassava.
“As cassava farmers, we have suffered from disease affecting the cassava tubers, as well as another disease known as cassava mosaic. Nobody is happy when their cassava is rejected in the market due to diseases, so any scientific interventions that will counter these diseases are welcome. We’re very happy with the GM cassava,” Mrs Wainaina said, adding, “And if the scientists can develop a GM cassava variety that matures faster, that would be very good as well”.
