Five new cassava varieties developed with support from NextGen Cassava have been approved for release in Nigeria. These next generation varieties deliver promising options for smallholder farmers in resisting cassava diseases and marketing their crops to consumers.
Named Game-Changer, Hope, Obasanjo-2, Baba-70 and Poundable, the five next generation varieties feature high yields and robust disease resistance important for farmers and characteristics sought by consumers. Poundable is the first fresh market variety released in Nigeria. Hope and Baba-70 have excellent gari and fufu quality to address the processed food market. Game-Changer and Obasanjo-2 have high and stable starch content, which is desired by industrial processors for flour, starch and ethanol.
The varieties were approved December 17 by Nigeria’s National Variety Release Committee.
“The foundation of a solid crop value chain is based on best-bet varieties,” said Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono, Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
“As a country, we are excited that the new NextGen cassava varieties address the needs of the cassava industry and we look forward to providing millions of Nigerian cassava growers access to these varieties.”
The releases by the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) in collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) are the first varieties released using the modernized breeding technologies supported by NextGen Cassava, a project based in Cornell University’s Department of Global Development and implemented by IITA and NRCRI, along with the national programs of Uganda and Tanzania. Launched in 2012, the project utilizes new breeding tools to enhance the speed and efficiency of cassava breeding to empower smallholder growers across Africa. Innovations in the use of genomic selection, the deployment of digital tools for all data collection, and a commitment to robust social science pushed the project to develop the five new varieties tailored to specific needs and market niches in Nigeria, the world’s largest producer of cassava.
“Cassava is the foundation of food security and agricultural development in Nigeria — the country’s health is inextricably tied to the health of its cassava,” said plant breeder Chiedozie Egesi, the NextGen Cassava project director and faculty in the Cornell Global Development and the School of Integrative Plant Science.
"These five new varieties represent not only a culmination of years of collaborative work among our partners, but also new opportunities for cassava growers and processors in Nigeria."
The varieties have been through years of rigorous testing and evaluation with farmers and processors. The breeding team prioritized input from farmers —particularly women, who play a critical role in the cassava value chain — to drive breeding decisions and produce varieties for release.
