Cassava next big thing?

Smallholder cassava farmers of Chingale in Zomba have expressed gratitude for a daylong training that World Vision Malawi (WVM) jointly with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) organised.

This comes after the organisations, which are also working with Cassava Adding Value for Africa (Cava), brought the farmers to reality when they were given a chance to travel from Zomba to Mpenda Village in Thyolo to see and learn from their fellow farmers who have already started the processing.

WVM food security and enterprise development specialist for Chrispin Magombo said the training was one way of empowering and making farmers realise that there are other alternatives to tobacco that can benefit farmers.

“Cassava is drought tolerant, but it produces high yields. It is a low input crop which does not require much investment unlike other crops,” said Magombo.

In an interview, Vito Sandifolo said Cava is working with smallholder farmers and sensitising them to produce more cassava to meet the 26 thousand tonnes requirement on the markets.

Cava has already trained farmers in 11 districts and provided them cassava milling machines.