HarvestPlus, DFID-MADE Train Investors at Cassava ‘Waste-to-Wealth’ Workshop

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Issue 3: December 2016

Dr. Paul Ilona showcases sample animal feed made from Vitamin A Cassava to participants at the workshop

Cross section of participants at cassava “Waste-to-Wealth work-shop in Akure, Ondo State

‘ ‘Not only are the peels impor-tant, tonnes of cassava leaves that are thrown away can and should be used for producing silage for ruminant animals

To update cassava processors and poultry feed investors on new technologies for animal feed production using vitamin A cassava peels and leaves, HarvestPlus in collaboration with Department for Interna-

tional Development (DFID)’s Market Development in the Niger Delta (MADE) and the International Live-stock Research Institute (ILRI), held a training session between December 8 and 9, at the cassava processing centre, Federal College of Agriculture Akure, (FECA), Ondo State. The training was designed to upgrade the capacity of the 39 participants, who are cassava processors and poultry feed investors, to take advantage of the millions of cassava peels and leaves hitherto wasted, to produce high-quality feed materials for animal consumption. The workshop is part of the waste to wealth strategy and environmental component of HarvestPlus and DIFID-MADE intervention. Members of the training team include Paul Ilona of HarvestPlus; Chyka Okatar of DFID-MADE; Dr. Iheanacho Okike of ILRI and the provost of the host institution, FECA, Dr. Adeola Odedina. The session on animal feed sector was anchored by Dr. Iheanacho Okike, who educated the participants on the business prospects in converting cassava waste to wealth. Highlighting steps taken to address challeng-es in the animal feeds sector, he noted that capacity

building was necessary to address knowledge gaps in the value chain, especially in sourcing raw materials, equip-ment, packaging, and marketing of the products. Giving an overview of the Nigerian cassava sector and opportunities for investment, Dr. Paul Ilona, said that tonnes of cassava peels hitherto wasted after processing can be used as livestock feed. “Not only are the peels important, tonnes of cassava leaves that are thrown away can and should be used for producing silage for ruminant animals,” he said. After brainstorming sessions on measures to address the challenges encountered by processors and poultry operators, it was concluded that there was need for fur-ther training; stronger synergy between feed millers and cassava processors; awareness creation on the technol-ogy by the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI); improved partnership with financial institutions for loans, and standardization for cassava peel meal and competitive pricing of the product to pen-etrate the market.

This is a publication of HarvestPlus Nigeria. In its third issue, this newsletter chronicles activities and success stories recorded in the course of the project, highlighting their impact on the development and adoption of biofortifiied crops and foods for better health and nutrition.

Although a staple in rural communities because of its food and nutrition bene-fits, Vitamin A gari

has gradually become one of the favorite snacks and food for res-idents in Nigeria’s commercial hub, Lagos, says Mr. Idowu Ade-wale, a major gari bulk supplier in the state. Mr. Adewale is one of the Senator Adeyemo Women Empowerment Center (SAWEC)’s key customers, who introduced vitamin A gari to Lagos residents, fighting off stiff competition from the white vari-ant of the product. In the past, he would rather pro-mote white gari made from white cassava varieties as against yellow gari, saying cultural preference made him sideline any gari with a different color. However, he got interested in vitamin A gari after learning of its nutritional benefit and high quality. “With vitamin A gari, the story is different,” he says. Executive Director, SAWEC, Mrs. Bola Adeyemo says Adewale

‘How Vitamin A Gari became the Delight of Lagos Elite’ – Bulk Trader

Why Do We Need Vitamin A?

Vitamin A is essential for good vision, strong immune system, prevention diarrhea and healthy skin. Deficiency results in growth retardation, damage to mucous membrane tracts, reproductive disorders, eye damage—and ultimately blindness. Children with vitamin A deficiency are often deficient in multiple mi-cro-nutrients and are likely to be anaemic. Pregnant women with vitamin A deficiency may be at increased risk of mortality

Severity of Vitamin A Deficiency

Source: Global Prevalence of Vitamin A Deficiency in Population at Risk 1995-2005: WHO Global Database on Vitamin A Deficiency (http://www.who.int/vmnis/en/)

‘ ‘I would never have been successful as a trader in Lagos without the untiring efforts of HarvestPlus and its allies such as SAWEC

faced the earlier challenges be-cause the Yorubas in South West, Nigeria, eat and produce mainly white gari. According to her, “Each time he complained, I encouraged him to stay the course. I told him that the quality of SAWEC Vitamin A gari would break that barrier. The yel-low color is an advantage, not just a result of adding palm oil. Even-tually, he overcame the challenge” Mr. Adewale has since grown his business after his encounter with SAWEC. He now owns two shops in Lagos as a result of in-creased demand for the product among residents, who attest to the superior quality and benefits of the product compared to other variants. “I would never have been suc-cessful trading in Lagos without the untiring efforts of HarvestPlus

and its allies such as SAWEC,” he says. “It is the good work of these credible bodies that attracted and got me motivated to be part of this cause of promoting gari made from Vitamin A biofortified cassava” Ever since gaining a share of the Lagos gari market, Mr. Ade-wale’s products have graced ma-jor events in the state, as packs of vitamin A gari have become gift items at ceremonies and birthday parties. Some of the events where the products have been patronized, according to Adewale, include, “birthday celebration of one Mr. Soji Ambode in November 2015; coronation of Chief Mrs. Ebunola Akinsola in April 2016; burial cer-emony of Pa Ebenezer and mar-riage ceremony of Lara & Dotun in May 2016, among others”

Commercial Farmers Group to Cultivate 200ha of Vitamin A Cassava

The Senator Adeyemo Women Empow-erment Center (SAWEC) has inaugu-rated the Vitamin A cassava Agro-allied group, a cluster of commercial farmers in Ibarapa axis of Oyo State, to meet the

growing demand of farmers and processors for bio-fortified crops.Executive Director of the Center, Mrs. Bola Adeyemo, said the group has committed to growing 200 hec-tares of vitamin A cassava so as to assure adequate supply of stems and tubers to farmers and proces-sors in the Ibarapa area of Oyo State and beyond. The inaugural meeting of the group, held at the center, was attended by 24 farmers including wom-en and 16 men. “We have pledged to make Ibarapa the hub of Vitamin A cassava production in Oyo State. This would be a drop in the ocean when we expand and commit the people to eating vitamin A cassava,” said Mr. Adedayo Ajani, who was appointed Secre-tary of the group. The 200 hectare project is an initiative of Har-vestPlus and is intended to address challenges of demand for vitamin A cassava tubers and stems in

Executive Director, Senator Adeyemo Women Empower Center, SAWEC Mrs. Adeyemo Weighing Cassava roots during a meeting with Vitamin A Cassava farmers in Eruwa, Oyo State

2017 in Oyo and neighbouring states. It is also an avenue to gainfully engage farmers in the community with an assur-ance of a ready market for the crops after harvest.

Experts have urged small scale investors in the processing and packag-ing arm of the vitamin A cassava value chain

to ensure their products not only retain requisite nutrient content, but meet local and international standards, for better nutrition and profitability. Stakeholders in Nigeria’s food processing and packaging in-dustries made this submission during a workshop organized on November 26 by Synergos Devel-opment Innovations in collabora-tion with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)’s Value Chain Develop-ment Programme (VCDP), held in Makurdi, Benue State. HarvestPlus was represented at the training by its Benue State

partners. Miss Awa Torhee of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) gave a presentation titled “Business Opportunities in the Vitamin A Cassava Sector,” high-lighting investment opportunities and best practices in processing and packaging of vitamin A cas-sava food derivatives. She said, “Participants were thrilled to know that so many products such as moi-moi, combo bits and strips, as well ascustard/pap, that are highly nutritious and marketable can be processed from vitamin A cassava. They learnt about the available market for the sale of vi-tamin A cassava stems and food derivatives. Many people indicat-ed interest to work with partners in the State in order to establish vitamin A cassava farms during

the next planting season.” Processors of vitamin A cassa-va products trained by Harvest-Plus and Benue partners were in attendance to showcase and sell their products. Participants at the workshop included representatives of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), as well as farmers, processors and bulking agents drawn from various local councils in Benue and Kogi State. The training would ensure that biofortified foods are accept-ed in high-end and open mar-kets, ensuring that the products are available to all categories of consumers

Packaging Biofortified Foods Tops Agenda at Cassava Value Chain Training In Benue

PIC: Cross section of participants at the Vitamin A Cassava Value Chain training organised by Synergos in Makurdi, Benue Sate

AKSU Facilitates Biofortified Crops Adoption in Akwa Ibom

Increased engagement with the public and private sectors has led to improved awareness and adop-tion of biofortified crops in Akwa Ibom and neigh-boring states, Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU) principal investigator for HarvestPlus, Dr. Edna

Akpan, has said. Dr. Akpan, who led investors in biofortified crops and foods under AKSU to the Nutritious Food Fair, was recently appointed into the state government’s Com-mittee on Agriculture and Food Sufficiency. She said the university’s efforts has yielded success stories in terms of advocacy, partnerships, research and community devel-opment, all of which was achieved by mainstreaming biofortification into agricultural policies in the state and beyond. Some of the initiatives, according to her, include flag-off of the second planting season of biofortified crops by the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel and other members of the state government; collaboration with other donor agencies on stem multiplication and distribution; introduction of vitamin A Cassava to Univer-sity of Uyo (UNIUYO) farms and villages in Cross River, Rivers and Abia states; mainstreaming of biofortified

crops into the YOUWIN programme, among others. She said students in the host university are in-volved in research on production and consumption of biofortified crops, which have been published in national and international journals. She added that entrepreneurs involved in cultivation and processing of biofortified crops were supported to scale up their businesses. “There is a 20 hectare farm developed through the Akwa Ibom Cassava Growers Association and the YOUwin programme. There is another 25 hectares of vitamin A cassava farm spread across the three sen-atorial districts in the state. We have also supported Arise Farms in upgrading their processing equipment. They now produce garri, fufu, High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF) from Vitamin A cassava among others. A 10 hectare farm is tied to that facility,” she said. The over 45 hectare farmland would boost sup-ply of vitamin A cassava stems in Akwa Ibom and neighbouring states, and would help in fast tracking adoption of the crop. It is also intended that the farms would boost income of the locals, engage women and, consequwntly, improve nutrition in homes.

Governor, Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel distributing Vitamin A Cassava Stems during flag off of second planting season

Dr. Edna inspects prcessing center in AkwaIbom to ensure stan-dars are contained

Dr. Edna Akpan meets with officials of the ministry of Agricul-ture to boost advocacy for Vitamin A Cassava and maize in Akwa Ibom State

Cross Section of students of Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU) engaged in research and production of Vitamin A Cassava

HarvestPlus has sensitized primary school pupils in Ibadan on the benefits of consuming nutritious foods, noting that foods rich in micronutrients are essential for good eyesight, skin, and boosts intelligence. The sensitization was part of the Christmas celebra-tions organized by the Nigerian Television of Authority (NTA), Ibadan network center, to mark the end of the year. The children were tested on their knowledge of nu-trition, during which prizes for children with impressive knowledge of the benefits of micronutrients, such as iron, vitamin A, zinc among others, were rewarded. Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, HarvestPlus, Gerald Umeze, who anchored the session, harped on the need for balanced diets, noting that the presence of micronutrient in meals assures that children would grow to contribute meaningfully to national development. “We want children to know that aside macronutrients, such as protein, carbohydrate and others, knowledge of micronutrients are also essential for them to know what food to tell their parents to buy and eat in homes,” he said. The Zonal director, NTA, Mrs. Jennifer Famosipe said the network center was delighted to host the children over the years, assuring that the event was intended to

Stakeholders in community nutrition in Ogun State have been urged to integrate messages on biofortified crops and foods in nutrition education as a viable strat-egy to combat malnutrition in rural communities, espe-cially during the second round of the bi-annual Maternal, New Born and Child Health Week holding in December. The charge was given at the pre-Maternal, New Born and Child Health (MNCH) Week workshop organized by the Ogun State Primary Health Care Development Board, in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on November 30.

Health Workers to Educate Ogun Rural Communities on Biofortified Crops and Foods

HarvestPlus Talks Nutrition at NTA Christmas Party

give to back to society. According to her, “We are happy to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with the children. This is not just about the celebration for NTA, we also intend to give back to the society for the continued trust reposed in us over time. We hope that the spirit of Christmas would encour-age the children in appreciating the benefits of togeth-erness and love. We appreciate our sponsors, including HarvestPlus for being good allies.”

Nutrition Officer, HarvestPlus Nigeria Mrs. Kalejaye Olatundun interacts with nutrition officers at the session

Mr. Victor Ekeleme of HarvestPlus presents gift to school pupils during the christmas party

The program was attended by Nutrition Focal Persons and Reproductive Health Coordinators from the 20 Lo-cal Government Areas (LGAs) of the state, who are chief nursing officers in Primary Healthcare Centers. The Nutrition Officer, HarvestPlus Nigeria, Mrs. Kale-jaiye Olatundun, said the health workers would best serve their communities by communicating the benefits of consuming foods made from biofortified crops, espe-cially in instances where they identify undernourished children in the course of performing their duties in the communities. “When a health worker identifies a severely or mod-erately malnourished child at the Primary Healthcare Center during routine or special screening for malnutri-tion, we want them to tell mothers that including foods gotten from biofortified crops for such a child would help address the health challenge. So, we want them to en-courage rural women who know about biofortified crops to consume them in their homes because of the added health benefits. And also encourage those who do not have these varieties to get them.” Participants at the workshop usually go back to their local governments and organize step-down training for a larger group of health workers at that level, where it is intended that the message would reach those who work on the field and interact with rural women.

HarvestPlus improves nutrition and public health by developing and promoting biofortified food crops that are rich in vitamins and minerals, and providing global leadership on biofortification evidence and technology. HarvestPlus is part of the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH). CGIAR is a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future. Its science is carried out by its 15 research centers in collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations. The HarvestPlus program is coordinated by two of these centers, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

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