Helping Farmers Help ThemselvesHelping Farmers Help Themselves

CIAT’s contribution to cassava CIAT’s contribution to cassava production in Asiaproduction in Asia

Reinhardt Howeler

May 2009

Brief history of CIAT’ involvement with cassava in AsiaBrief history of CIAT’ involvement with cassava in Asia

Training

1975-1979 Specialized long-term training of 16 Asian researchers at CIAT1980-2003 Specialized shorter-term training of 57 Asian researchers at CIAT

1978 Cassava production training course at CIAT; 18 participants1980 Cassava production training course in the Philip.: 25 participants1985 Cassava production training course at CIAT; 24 participants1989 Cassava production training course at CIAT; 22 participants2008 Cassava production training course in Thailand; 59 participants

Outposted CIAT-staff

1977-1979 Romeo Obordo Regional Coordinator, stationed in the Philippines1983-1998 Kazuo Kawano Regional Coordinator, stationed in Thailand1986-2009 Reinhardt Howeler Cassava Agronomist, stationed in Thailand2005-present Tin Maung Aye Cassava Agronomist, stationed in Laos; from 2009 stationed in Thailand

CIAT-Office

1983-present CIAT Cassava Office for Asia in Bangkok, Thailand

Working Style

Senior staff work in close collaboration with researchers and extensionists in national cassava programs in Asia, mainly in Thailand, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and India; more recently in East Timor, Laos and Cambodia

Funding

1983-1998 Breeder: Core funding

1986-1993 Agronomist: Restricted core from Japanese government

1994-2009 Agronomists: Special Project funding from the Nippon

Foundation in Japan and from ACIAR in Australia

Cassava Improvement in AsiaCassava Improvement in Asia• Asia has relatively few native land races of cassava, and breeding during the 1970s was

therefore not very successful• From 1983 to the present nearly half a million hybrid F1 seeds have been introduced

from CIAT; this has greatly broadened the genetic base• Recently, the CIAT cassava core collection of over 600 accessions has been transferred

in tissue culture to Thailand• The working together of a CIAT cassava breeder with breeders in various national

programs resulted in the release of about 52 new varieties of high yield and high starch content

• Nearly two million ha, or about 50% of the cassava area in Asia, are now planted with these CIAT-related varieties

• Average cassava yields in Asia increased from 12.7 t/ha in 1984 to 18.7 t/ha in 2007 as a result of the use of higher yielding varieties and adoption of improved agronomic practices

• The increase in gross income of cassava farmers in Asia as a result of higher yields in 2007 as compared to 1984 is estimated at 900 million US dollars annually

Table 3. Total area under cassava and estimated area under CIAT-related varieties in various countries in Asia in 2006/07 Area under cassava (ha) Area under CIAT- related varieties ———————— —————————————— Country FAO

1) ha (%) Cambodia 96,000 76,800 80 China 268,850 80,655 30 India 242,000 0 0 Indonesia 1,206,904 229,311 19 Malaysia 41,000 100 5 Philippines 210,000 12,600 6 Thailand 1,152,199 1,129,155 98 Vietnam 560,000 392,000 70 Myanmar 16,500 3,300 20 Laos 17,000 1,700 10 Others 34,725 3,170 10 Total 3,845,178 1,932,791 50 FAOSTAT, Aug 2008; data for 2007.

Cassava AgronomyCassava Agronomy• A CIAT agronomist has been stationed in Asia since 1986; a second

agronomist joined in 2005

• In collaboration with national scientists we have conducted research on various aspects of cultural practices, e.g. soil fertility maintenance and erosion control, cassava leaf production, minimum tillage, etc. as well as widespread testing of new varieties

• Since 1994 the emphasis has changed from conducting research to achieving adoption and impact using a farmer participatory research (FPR) approach, initially mainly in Thailand, Vietnam, China and Indonesia and more recently in East Timor, Laos and Cambodia

Figure 2. Decline in fresh root yields due to continuous cultivation without fertilizers in three soil series in Thailand. Source: Sittibusaya, 1993; Howeler, 1995.

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= Sattahip= Huaipong= Korat5

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01955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990

Crop year

Soil Productivity Decline

due to

11 1Nutrient Depletion

11 1Erosion

In Thailand cassava is generally grown by smallholder farmers on light textured soils with gentle slopes

In Vietnam cassava is often grown on rather steep slopes

27 years of continuous cropping without K application (in front) resulted in very poor growth and low yields in Khon Kaen, Thailand;

in the back with complete NPK application

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N1P1K1 tops removedN1P0K1 tops removedN1P1K0 tops removedN0P0K0 tops removed

Response to annual applications of various combinations of N, P and K of cassava grown in Khon Kaen, Thailand for 23 consecutive years

During heavy rain storms a lot of runoff water accumulates in natural drainage ways………

……which can break the contour ridges …….

….and cause serious gully erosion

Research in Thailand has shown that soil losses by

erosion can be greatly reduced by application of

chemical fertilizers….

….or planting contour hedgerows of vetiver grass,

which, after ten years, resulted in natural terrace formation with one meter

high terrace risers in Phu Tho province of north Vietnam

Most soil erosion control practices have Most soil erosion control practices have certain advantages and disadvantagescertain advantages and disadvantages

• Thus……trade-offs need to be made

• This can only be decided by the farmers themselves

These practices are also highly site-specific, These practices are also highly site-specific, depending on soil and climate as well as the depending on soil and climate as well as the socio-economic situation of farmers in each socio-economic situation of farmers in each

locationlocation

• Thus……the most suitable practices will have to be determined in each location……

• ……..and with full participation of the farmers

Objectives: to enhance the sustainability of cassava-based cropping systems in Asia by the widespread

adoption of soil conserving practices.

Strategy: to involve farmers directly in the development and dissemination of location-specific, most

suitable and most effective soil conservingpractices.

Nippon Foundation ProjectNippon Foundation Project

Target: to benefit at least 8000 farmers

Farmer Participationand Decision Making

Problem Diagnosiswith farmers

Researchers show many technology options in FPR

demonstration plots

Feed back to researchAdopt and disseminate

Farmers adapt new practice and scale-up to

production field

Farmers retest and reselect

Farmers selectbest options

Farmers evaluate and select most suitableoptions/practices

Farmers test optionsin FPR trials on their own fields

Farmer Participatory Research (FPR) approach

PartnersPartnersNippon Foundation in Japan – funding agencyCIAT Cassava Program for Asia-project implementation

in collaboration with:

1. Research and extension organizations in Thailand-Department of Agriculture (DOA)-Department of Agricultural Extension (DOAE)-Land Development Department (LDD)-Kasetsart University (KU)-The Thai Tapioca Development Institute(TTDI)

2. Research and extension organizations in Vietnam-Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry (TNUAF)-National Institute for Soils and Fertilizers (NISF)-Vietnam Agricultural Science Institute (VASI)-Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry (HUAF)-Institute of Agricultural Sciences of South Vietnam (IAS)-Tu Duc University of Agric. and Forestry (TDUAF)

3. Research and extension organizations in China -Chinese Academy for Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS)-Guangxi Subtropical Crops Research Institute (GSCRI)-Honghe Animal Husbandry Station of Yunnan

Farmers become aware of the

seriousness of soil erosion

when they can actually see the

soil losses in their own fields

Farmers can see in their own Farmers can see in their own

FPR trials that some simple FPR trials that some simple

practices can markedly reduce practices can markedly reduce

runoff and erosionrunoff and erosion

Farmers, researchers and extension workers evaluate the

treatments in all the FPR trials conducted in the village

Field day at time of harvestField day at time of harvest

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Figure 1. Location of FPR pilot sites in China, Thailand and Vietnam in the Nippon Foundation cassava project in 2003.

Number of FPR trials conducted in the 2d phase of the Nippon Foundation Project in China, Thailand and Vietnam.

Country Type of FPR trial 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Total China Varieties 9 9 20 69 20 127 Erosion control 3 5 8 17 - 33 Fertilization - - - 4 - 4 Intercropping - - - 9 - 9 Pig feeding - - - 59 - 59 12 14 28 158 20 232 Thailand Varieties 11 16 16 19 25 87 Erosion control 14 10 6 - 11 41 Chemical fertilizers 16 6 23 17 17 79 Chem.+org fertilizers - - 10 11 11 32 Green manures - - 13 11 15 39 Weed control - - 17 5 10 32 Plant spacing - - 3 - 2 5 Intercropping - - 16 7 - 23 41 32 104 70 91 338 Vietnam Varieties 12 31 36 47 35 161 Erosion control 16 28 29 30 23 126 Fertilization 1 23 36 24 24 108 Intercropping - 14 32 31 26 103 Weed control - 3 - - 3 6 Plant spacing - 1 7 19 8 35 Leaf production - - 2 2 1 5 Pig feeding - - 11 16 13 40 29 100 153 169 133 584 Total 82 146 285 397 244 1,154

Development of Farmer Participatory Extension (FPE) Approaches

-Cross-visits -Field days at time of harvest -Large-scale field days -Setting up “Cassava Development Villages”-Training local “FPR teams”-Pamphlets, posters, booklets, videos, TV programs, newspaper articles etc.

ThailandThailand

Cassava Development Villages

In Thailand, 21 Cassava Development VillagesIn Thailand, 21 Cassava Development Villages have been set up with the objective to

empower the community to make their own decisions and help each other improve

cassava production and farm income while protecting the natural resources

Cassava farmers in Thailand have planted a total of about 150 km of vetiver grass hedgerows to control erosion in their cassava fields

VietnamVietnam

Thong Nhat commune in North Vietnam in 1998

Serious erosion problems and low yields of cassava and tea

Thong Nhat commune in North Vietnam in 2000

A farmer proudly shows off his “new cassava” field

In Van Yen district of Yen Bai province in north Vietnam farmers have planted 500 km of double row hedgerows of Tephrosia candida

to control erosion

Table 1. Extent of adoption of new technologies by farmers participating or not directly participating in the Nippon Foundation project in Thailand and Vietnam1). Thailand Vietnam Over-all Technologies adopted ——————(% of households)—————— Varieties - >75% improved varieties 99.7 41.0 67.0 - about 50% improved varieties 0.3 25.7 13.3 - mainly traditional varieties 0 23.4 11.1 Soil conservation practices - contour ridging 30.3 29.8 30.0 - hedgerows - vetiver grass 23.5 6.6 15.5 - Tephrosia candida 0 16.5 7.8 - Paspalum atratum 0.2 5.6 2.8 - pineapple 0 1.5 0.7 - sugarcane 0.9 0 0.5 - other hedgerows 1.1 3.8 2.4 Intercropping - with peanut 0.7 34.6 16.7 - with beans 0 26.0 12.3 - with maize 4.8 3.3 4.1 - with green manures 8.4 0 4.4 - other species 1.8 30.0 15.0 Fertilization - chemical fertilizers 88.2 79.9 84.2 - farm yard or green manure 33.7 56.0 45.7 1)Data are based on PRRA census forms collected at the end of the project (2003) from 439 households in Thailand and 393 households in Vietnam from farmers that had participated in FPR trials and or training courses, as well as from nearby farmers that had not directly participated in these project activities.

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Figure 1. Average cassava yields of farmers participating in the Nippon Foundation cassava project or of nearby but non-participating farmers, before the project started and at the end of the project. Data are from PRRA census forms collected from 439 households in Thailand and 393 household in Vietnam For comparison the national average cassava yields in 1999 (before) and 2003 (after) are also shown

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1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Figure 2. Change in cassava yield in four countries in Asia from 1994 to 2003.

Year

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ld (t

/ha) India

ThailandChinaVietnam

Table 4. Estimated increase in gross income of cassava farming households (hh) in various countries in Asia as a result of increased cassava yields in 2007 as compared to 1984. Increased gross Estimated no. Estimated Total cassava Cassava yield income due to of hh growing additional gross area (t/ha) higher yields2) cassava gross income/hh3)

(ha)1) 1984 20071) (mil. US$) (million) (US $) Cambodia 96,000 6.20 20.83 56.179 0.096 585.20 China 268,850 15.81 16.25 4.732 0.896 5.28 India 242,000 18.43 31.40 125.550 0.302 415.73 Indonesia 1,206,904 10.49 16.25 278.071 3.017 92.17 Laos 17,000 13.60 10.29 -2.251 0.039 - Malaysia 41,000 10.86 10.49 -0.607 - - Myanmar 16,500 11.77 12.79 0.673 - - Philippines 210,000 7.40 8.71 11.004 0.210 52.40 Sri Lanka 22,560 12.02 9.75 -2.048 - - Thailand 1,152,199 14.97 22.92 366.399 0.448 817.85 Timor Leste 12,000 4.19 4.14 -0.024 - - Vietnam 560,000 8.79 15.89 159.040 2.074 76.68

Total 3,845,013 12.71 18.67 916.651 7.120 128.74

These increases in yields are due to the widespread adoption of new high-yielding varieties and improved agronomic practices, but are also partly in response to ever increasing demand for cassava products, especially in China, such as:

• cassava starch for food, paper, textiles etc

• cassava dry chips for animal feed and bio-ethanol

Thus, the future of cassava in Thus, the future of cassava in Asia is very brightAsia is very bright

……but,

there are some dark clouds on the horizon….

This year, for the first time, there are some serious disease and pest problems in cassava in Asia

This will need serious and quick attention in order to find an effective solution, as these problems could have a devastating

effect on the whole cassava sector in Asia

Spiraling whitefly(Aleurodiscus dispersus)

Excellent resistance of MEcu 72 to Aleurotrachelus socialis in

Colombia

MEcu 72

Cassava mealybug

(Phenacoccus manihoti)?Cassava mealy bug

(Ferrisia virgata)?

Occurs mainly on plants weakened by K deficiency

This new mealy bug species has now spread to cassava fields in 25 provinces of Thailand

We also see a very unusual growth, which may be due to the mealy bug, to CBB or to a phytoplasm such as witches

broom disease

These phytoplasm-like symptoms are widespread in southern Vietnam and in Thailand in 2009 and may seriously affect yields and the availability of clean

planting material

…………..So ..So

Is this the future of Is this the future of

our children?our children?

….or can we help farmers improve their livelihood A

ND protect the environment?..

Our Future!!!Our Future!!!