Abstract
User's preferences of cassava and cassava products along the value chain are supported by specific root quality characteristics that can be linked to root traits. Therefore, providing an evidence base of user preferred characteristics along the value chain can help in the functional choice of cassava varieties. In this respect, the present paper presents the results from focus group discussions and individual interviews on user preferred quality characteristics of raw cassava roots and the derived product, gari, - one of the major cassava products in Sub-Saharan Africa - in major production and consumption areas of Cameroon and Nigeria. Choice of cassava varieties for farming is mainly determined by the multiple end uses of the roots, their agricultural yield and the processing determinants of roots that support their major high-quality characteristics: size, density, low water content, maturity, colour and safety. Processing of cassava roots into gari goes through different technological variants leading to a gari whose high-quality characteristics are dryness, colour, shiny/attractive appearance, uniform granules and taste. Eba, the major consumption form of gari in Cameroon and Nigeria, is mainly characterised by its textural properties: smoothness, firmness, stickiness, elasticity and mouldability. Recommendations are made, suggesting that breeding will have to start evaluating cassava clones for brightness/shininess, as well as textural properties such as mouldability and elasticity of cassava food products, for the purpose of supporting decision-making by breeders and the development of high-throughput selection methods of cassava varieties. Women are identified as important beneficiaries of such initiatives giving their disadvantaged position and their prominent role in cassava processing and marketing of gari.
Highlights
Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz), originating from South America, is one of the world’s main root crops and constitutes the most important staple of rural and urban households in Sub-Saharan Africa (Spencer & Ezedinma, 2017; Petsakos et al, 2019)
The present paper presents the results from focus group discussions and individual interviews on user preferred quality characteristics of raw cassava roots and the derived product, gari, – one of the major cassava products in Sub-Saharan Africa – in major production and consumption areas of Cameroon and Nigeria
The compilation of information obtained from Key Informant (KI) and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) indicates that gender mapping of farming systems is based on the wealth status of the actors, depending on the farmed surfaces, land ownership, crops, quantity harvested and level of work organisation
Summary
Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz), originating from South America, is one of the world’s main root crops and constitutes the most important staple of rural and urban households in Sub-Saharan Africa (Spencer & Ezedinma, 2017; Petsakos et al, 2019). At the level of subsistence agriculture, the root can be left in the ground and harvested piece meal, allowing a spread management of its food use. These advantages have confirmed cassava as a very important crop which is fast replacing traditional crops in some areas, gaining ground increasingly as an insurance crop against hunger and climate change and constitutes an essential component of food security for African populations. Cassava is a major cash crop for a large number of households and is sold fresh or after processing to generate income, often used by women for household purchases, children’s education, health and investment in business (Forsythe et al, 2016)
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