The FAO believes that cassava could be the “food of the 21st Century”

The cultivation of cassava could be transformed into the most important crop for the 21st century able to satisfy the increase in demand if grown using a sustainable agriculture model. This is the opinion of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

A Note published by the Agency, headed by Brazilian José Graziano, pointed out that worldwide production of cassava has increased by 60% since 2000. One of the reasons for this growth is the high price of cereals and grains, which transformed the tuberous root into an attractive alternative to wheat and corn. High-quality cassava flour that can be used as a substitute for wheat can be produced from the root.

A species native to Latin America, where it was grown by the indigenous population, cassava was spread around the world at the time of the colonization of the Americas by the Europeans. In Africa, where the plant was carried on the slave ships, it became extremely popular. So much so that in Angola and Mozambique the root is used to prepare a kind of porridge called fungi and cornmeal, respectively, which is the equivalent of rice and beans in Brazil.

Sustainable Model  The FAO has introduced an agricultural model called “Save and Grow”, that can increase the earnings generated from the cultivation of cassava by nearly 400%. According to the pamphlet, the first in a series of guides for the practical use of sustainable agricultural methods, this can be achieved by improving the quality and the health of the land, rather than the intensive use of chemical products.

Replacing the single-crop model normally associated with intensive agricultural systems, the program encourages mixed cultivation (“inter-cropping”), crop rotation and the non-use of chemical pesticides.

According to the organization, these practices have yielded “spectacular” results in tests carried out in Vietnam, where the farmers increased earnings from cassava cultivation by 400%. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country with enormous agricultural potential that is currently ranked in last place on the Human Development Index, the yields increased by 250% in areas where the technology was used.

Partnership With the Lula Institute The Lula Institute is joining forces with the FAO and the African Union to eradicate hunger and malnutrition in Africa. The three organizations are sponsoring a high-level meeting with African and international leaders to discuss “New Unified Approaches to End Hunger in Africa”. The meeting will be held in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia on June 30 and July 1, 2013.

Click here to access the publication “Save and Grow”: http://www.fao.org/ag/save-and-grow/cassava/