Farmers in the Africa’s Great Lakes Region, in particular Burundians, are planting cassava again with the help of FAO and its partners. A decade ago, an aggressive strain of plant virus, known as Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD), moved through the region. The virus destroyed harvests of the staple crop, cassava, and food shortages led to local famines, especially in drought-prone areas.
For a region already troubled by recurrent conflicts, the losses were devastating for poor farmers and vulnerable communities. A strong alliance of technical institutions, local associations and development organizations, and donors including the EU facilitated the deployment of improved disease-free cassava and clean planting material to smallholder farmers. FAO coordinated activities to multiply and supply cassava cuttings of virus-resistant varieties from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA, Nigeria) and the National Research Institutes.
As a result of mass propagation and distribution of disease-free planting material to the population (e.g., to internally displaced people and vulnerable farming families) and thanks to the region’s relative peace, farmers are finally able to plant cassava again.

Related information:
www.fao.org/newsroom/en/field/2007/1000693/index.html
www.fao.org/newsroom/en/field/2007/1000693/article_1000694en.html
www.fao.org/ag/agp/agpc/gcds/