Cassava: The new cash kid

The fact that cassava (Manihot esculenta) is  an ubiquitous crop in Ghana depicts the significance of the crop in the livelihood of Ghanaians especially the rural poor.  

Cassava is not only vital to food security but has also assumed an important role as an industrial commodity. Like all root and tuber crops it is eaten in most parts of Africa including Ghana. Cassava is adaptable to relatively marginal soil and erratic rainfall conditions. In fact famine rarely occurs in an area where cassava is widely grown. 

Previously perceived as unsuitable for production intensification, cassava has grown dramatically in importance in world agriculture.  The “food of the poor” has become a multipurpose crop that responds to the priority of many developing countries, to trends in the global economy and to the challenge of climate change. 

It contributes up to 30 per cent of food intake in the country and  has many uses. For instance, the fresh roots are used for fufu, g