This is one of 280 summaries describing key outputs from the projects run by DFID’s 10-year Renewable Natural Resources Research Strategy (RNRRS) programmes.
Summary for Project title: R8404: Promotion of control measures for cassava brown streak disease.
Locally adapted cassava varieties with resistance to cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) are
promoting improved food security and livelihoods in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda.
Specially designed seed systems are being used to produce disease-free planting material for wide
distribution. An information campaign, using radio, leaflets and posters, is helping to get the word
out. The CBSD-resistant varieties are used by smallholders in semi-arid and coastal fishing
communities that supply fresh cassava to urban areas. They are also used for processing to make
cassava flour. Previously, CBSD damage resulted in poor yields and root quality. Over five years the
improved materials have reached more than 1 million people in eastern and southern Africa, and
their use is still spreading.
The CD has the following information for this output: Description, Validation, Current Situation, Environmental Impact. Attached PDF (9 pp.) taken from the CD.