Partnering to Unlock the Potential of Nigeria's Cassava Value Chain

Originally published August 2016.

Context Global Development® partners with Nigeria’s largest HQCF processor to establish an on-farm, commercial cassava seed multiplication system

Context Global Development® (CGD) formed a partnership with Nigeria’s largest High-Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF) processor, Flour Mills of Nigeria, to establish an innovative and commercially viable cassava stem business model that will serve high quality cassava value chains, including small-holder farmers (SHF).

Cassava is the most important food crop for Nigeria, where it has high poverty-reduction potential because of its low production cost, widespread cultivation, and job creation capacity — especially for women and rural youth. However, its income raising potential is stifled by the absence of an economically sustainable, integrated cassava seed system that would enable farmers to access affordable, high performing cassava seed varieties.

Building an Economically Sustainable, Integrated Seed System for Cassava in Nigeria (BASICS) is a four-year program aimed at sustainably improving farmers’ access to high quality and affordable cassava planting materials through the development and promotion of commercial models for seed provision. Our Processor-Led Model (PLM) component is anchored on a high-quality cassava flour processor, which possesses the incentive, means, and market power to spur farmer adoption of high quality cassava planting materials. Processors and farmers both stand to benefit from the former’s engagement in seed selection, multiplication, and commercialization.

PROCESSOR-LED MODEL OVERVIEW

The goal of the PLM is to develop a sustainable commercial model for cassava seed systems in Nigeria that enables smallholder farmers to access clean, improved planting material of farmer and industry preferred varieties. PLM aims to increase farm-level returns by vertically integrating high quality cassava processors into cassava seed multiplication. These processors then drive varietal improvement and anchor a local seed distribution network.

The BASICS program is run by the CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas, and implemented by IITA, NRCRI, CGD, CRS, FERA, NASC and Sahel. The program will build the capacity of Nigerian institutions and other stakeholders, including both men and women cassava farmers, processors and commercial seed producers to develop and put in to place a testing, field inspection and certification system for cassava seed.

This will, in turn, help fast-track improved breeders’ cassava varieties to farmers and ensure that good quality, disease-free planting materials are in use throughout the industry to improve productivity and incomes for farmers and their families.

Initially, the PLM will seek to test and prove the establishment of an economically sustainable planting material multiplication system. This includes the first-ever use of Argentinian lab-based macro propagation techniques, combined with on-farm nursery and demonstration plots. Once the business case has been established in Year 1, the program will then be scaled-up to include more Nigerian cassava processors in years 2–4. To support the upscaling of PLM, the program is developing a set of resources and tools, called BAQSTOPs, that processors can leverage to implement similar processor-led models quickly, provide personnel with the tools to monitor them efficiently, and instill operational excellence.

At Context Global Development, we believe in growing a world that is more productive, sustainable and efficient. We do that by helping partners like you achieve remarkable results. Our passion for agriculture is what drives us and is one of the main reasons why we have become the premier global and agribusiness consulting firm in advancing agriculture. Recently, Context has channeled that perspective by forming Context Global Development to put its experience of implementing agricultural advancement initiatives into practice.

With engagements, ongoing around the globe, wherever food is grown — we are there. Our organization is represented by an extensive team of dynamic engagement managers and analysts and complemented by a global network of hundreds of industry and subject area experts on-site worldwide. Providing access to this dynamic global network has proven to be invaluable to our partners.

Because we have boots on the ground, we can scale up quickly. No matter what the challenge, you can count on us to hit the ground running and efficiently help you realize greater impact.

Many of us grew up in agriculture — and we all know how to work both hard and smart. We offer a broad spectrum of agricultural expertise that you can depend on to seamlessly integrate as business advisors within public-private partnerships.