Zambian Government and FAO Respond to Cassava Disease Outbreak

By Dorcas Kabuya

Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD) is one disease that has hit the Northern and Luapula provinces of Zambia, thereby threatening to spread to other cassava-growing areas if no interventions are taken. Coupled with this threat is the Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD), which is present in all cassava growing areas accounting for 50 - 70 per cent of yield losses country-wide. This, in economic terms, translates into an estimated annual loss among farmers of 51.7 million United States Dollars.

Given the challenges encountered by the cassava industry, the Ministry of Agriculture, working with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), launched the Technical Cooperation Programme to mitigate the spread of CBSD and CMD in Chiengi and Kaputa Districts. Officiating at the launch, Agriculture Permanent Secretary, Green Mbozi, noted that the programme's launch signified the importance government attached to the cassava sub-sector. Mr Mbozi stated that the programme was meant to complement the government's efforts in reducing the impact and spread of the CBSD and CMD. The Permanent Secretary added that he hoped the project would build partnerships and create linkages with the communities and other key players within the cassava value chain. He further thanked the FAO for the support rendered and for making the technical cooperation programme valued at Two Hundred Thousand United States Dollars possible. "We appreciate FAO's support and partnership in transforming different agricultural value chains in the country, cassava inclusive," he said.

Mr Mbozi also thanked His Royal Highness, Senior Chief Kaputa and other traditional leaders who raised awareness of cassava production's benefits at household and community levels. "The interventions of our traditional leaders have helped mobilise technical and financial support to address the many challenges affecting the cassava industry in this country," he eulogised.    

Speaking at the same event, Senior Chief Kaputa of the Tabwa people of Kaputa noted with concern the outbreak of CBSD in Kaputa and other surrounding districts. His Royal Highness said cassava was a vital staple crop providing food and income for millions of smallholder farmers nationwide.

He noted with dismay that the crop had been greatly affected by CBSD and CMD, making farmers struggle to produce healthy crops and maintain their yields. "The impact of these diseases on cassava farmers cannot be overstated. Farmers have watched their crops die off, and their yields dwindle, leaving them without a source of income or food," he lamented.

His Royal Highness was, however, hopeful that the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) support, which will translate into providing disease-free cassava cuttings to farmers, would significantly improve farmers' livelihoods.

And FAO Country Representative, Suze-Percy Filippini, commended Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI) and other FAO technical teams for putting up the good work that birthed the programme that was being launched. Ms Filippini noted that cassava diseases had negatively affected cassava production resulting in sustained low yields. "The outbreak of cassava diseases in Kaputa and Chiengi districts has become a source of concern. The commitment from government and FAO is timely because the two provinces affected account for over 50 per cent of cassava production in the country," she hinted. Ms Filippini indicated that the presence of the diseases meant that many lives of farmers were threatened by food insecurity, a situation she said did not resonate well with FAO's aspiration for better nutrition and better life.

The launch of the programme has countered the attack to the two diseases on better production for the affected districts. It is also expected to contribute directly to alleviating poverty among smallholder farming counties and ensuring national food security.  

Meanwhile, Project Coordinator from ZARI, Mathias Tembo, disclosed that the programme plans to reach at least Ten Thousand Farmers in the two-year implementation period by distributing disease-free cassava planting materials.

Cassava is one of Zambia's most important root crops; it is a staple food in Luapula, Northern, Muchinga, North-Western, Copperbelt and Western Provinces, where it is widely grown.

The author is an Agriculture Information Officer at the National Agricultural Information Services. She is also CCARDESA Information, Communication and Knowledge Management (ICKM) focal point person for Zambia