Egerton University is seeking to boost value addition for cassava, which is largely consumed as subsistence food in Eastern Africa’s rural households.

The programme funded by Community Action Research Project (CARP+), Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) and the MasterCard Foundation also targets to create jobs, increase food and nutrition security, as well as improve cassava quality, productivity and its marketability both locally and abroad.

As a farmer and a community leader, retired policeman Simon Peter Gitahi’s constant worry until 2018 was how a local growers’ marketing cooperative society could be kicked back to life and help farmers earn an income from cassava farming.

Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) presents the opportunity to meet the world’s increasing foodClimate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) presents the opportunity to meet the world’s increasing fooddemands in the face of climate variability. It is more responsive to the achievement of SustainableDevelopment Goals 2 and 13. CSA practices have the potential to alleviate low potato yields amongfarmers.

Egerton University and ICRISAT have been engaged in improving production and productivty enhancement of dryland crops mainly sorghum, millets, groundnuts and greengrams in six counties dryland counties in Kenya which include Tharaka Nithi, Makueni, Kitui, Siaya, Busia and Elgeyo Marakwet, through funding support from USAID Feed the Future-FtF, Accelerated Value Chain Development (AVCD).