Upholding cassava's potential in Africa

• This is a valuable resource for the food and fibre component of the science and geography curriculums for years 7 to 9. It is of considerable value for the year 9 geography unit of study Biomes and food security, especially for content descriptions about the environmental factors that influence crop yields across the world, and the capacity of the world's environments to sustainably feed the projected future population to achieve food security for the world. Cassava is an important food staple that is extensively cultivated in tropical and subtropical biomes for its edible starchy, tuberous root.
• The video is also of value for the Science as a Human Endeavour strand in years 7 and 8, particularly for the content descriptions about how science understanding influences the development of practices in areas of human activity such as agriculture, and how people use understanding and skills from across the disciplines of science in their occupations. Scientific research was a pillar of the Regional Cassava Initiative and the video illustrates the importance of breeding virus-resistant cassava varieties and training farmers to recognise and respond to early signs of viral infection.
• The Regional Cassava Initiative was a partnership project in seven Central African countries to restore cassava-based production systems. The partnership established systems to research, raise and distribute virus-free cassava planting material. It promoted better cassava growing, processing and conservation practices among farmers and brought about some improvement in early warning systems for better control and management of cassava-related diseases. It was funded by the European Union and coordinated by the Food and Agriculture Organization from 2006 to 2013.

7; 8; 9