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In
1994, FAO launched the Special Programme for Food Security to help
developing countries to improve food security, through rapid increases
in food production and by reducing year-to-year variability, on
an economically and environmentally sustainable basis. Under this
initiative cassava deserves special attention. The broad agro-ecological adaptability of cassava and its ability to produce reasonable yields where most crops cannot, makes it the basis for food security at household level and an important source of dietary energy. The crop is an essential part of the diet of more than half a billion people and provides a livelihood for millions of farmers, processors and traders worldwide. Despite its importance as a staple crop and industrial raw material, and its contribution in fighting hunger and poverty in developing countries, cassava has often been neglected in agricultural development policies and has received considerably less emphasis on genetic improvement and biotechnology than most other major food crops. Given the projected demand, the importance of cassava is unlikely to diminish in the next 20 years or even long afterwards. To promote cassava and increase its production and utilization, Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in collaboration with International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), International centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), "Centre de coopération Iinternationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement" (CIRAD) and Natural Resources Institute (NRI), regognized the need to formulate an overall strategic plan for cassava development, namely the "Global Cassava Development Strategy". The Strategy was endorsed during the Validation Forum jointly organized by FAO and IFAD in Rome, April 2000. FAO, in its status as an international organization supported by its Member Governments was requested to play a key role in facilitating the implementation of the Strategy. |
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