By Badylon Kawanda Bakiman
Faced with the consequences of climate change, especially the drop in agricultural production, Appui aux initiatives paysannes pour le développement (AIPD), one of the platforms supporting around a hundred farmers’ structures in Kwilu province in the south-west of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is multiplying resilient cassava seeds to adapt to these climatic upheavals and help farmers increase tuber productivity with a view to improving food security.
Specifically, two types of cassava are involved: TME419, otherwise known as Obama, and Disanka.
“After experiments, it turned out that TME419 and Disanka are resilient. Adaptation to climate change is therefore easy for these varieties. The advantage is not only adaptation, but also production, which is increasing compared with other varieties such as F100, often ravaged by insect pests”, asserts Ir Roger Ngolo, one of AIPD’s executives.
AIPD has set up three centers in Kwilu province to multiply cassava seeds. For the Mudikalunga axis, the three-hectare multiplication center is in Kilombo, a town located more than five kilometers from Kikwit, the economic and political capital of Kwilu province.
On the Kwenge axis, the center, also covering three hectares, is located in Lubungu, 18 km from the town.
The third center concerns the Lukamba axis. The center is located in Banda Papy, 64 km from the same town. Jean-Marie Kibala, rural development technician and program manager at AIPD, explains that this seed multiplication is taking place in a context where many farmers have seen their cassava production drop as a result of climate upheavals and poor seed varieties that cannot adapt to this climatic phenomenon.
“The good varieties that AIPD multiplies in the various centers will be distributed to farmers after eight or 10 months. We give these seeds enough time to develop properly”, he explains.
Cassava is one of the most widely consumed agricultural products in Kwilu province. Hence the need to multiply its seeds and cultivate it judiciously.
Scientists report that eating cassava has significant nutritional benefits, and every part of the plant can be used as food for humans and animals.
“Cassava is rich in nutrients such as it is high in calcium, vitamins A, B and C, as well as essential minerals such as thiamine, folic acid, iron, manganese, potassium and zinc, and is a major source of carbohydrates (it produces around 40% more carbohydrates than rice and 25% more than maize”, they note.
They add that cassava is becoming increasingly popular among African farmers due to its agricultural benefits and potential to feed fast-growing populations.
“It can be served as food in the form of mashed potatoes or processed into starchy patties or even bread. Cooked cassava leaves are served as food and are an essential ingredient in soups and stews in parts of Central Africa, and humans consume the leaves for medicinal purposes,” they conclude.
