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IITA responds to the threat of famine in the Democratic Republic of Congo
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
Ibadan, Nigeria
Cassava mosaic virus has wreaked havoc on DR Congo's cassava harvests.
With a food crisis imminent, Nigeria based IITA has stepped in with mosaic-
resistant plants to avert the disaster.
 The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has announced that it will spearhead a $5 million effort to avert famine in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The 5-year project, initiated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the Congolese government, is in response to the desperate plight of farmers and worsening food shortages, resulting from years of civil war in the country.
The project will be based on the recommendations of a team of IITA scientists who visited DR Congo in December 2000 to assess the seriousness of the situation. The team visited farmers' fields in western Congo, and carried out rapid assessments of pests and diseases on the crops. They were shocked by what they found.
"We found every known pest and disease of cassava in Africa in the fields" said Alfred Dixon, cassava breeder at IITA. Cassava is a staple food for 70% of the population, so deterioration of this crop has had serious impact on food security in the country. Famine has already been reported in some regions. "The major constraint seems to be severe cassava mosaic disease. Farmers have reported a big increase in this disease over the last few years" said Dixon. "We saw moderate or severe symptoms in all the fields we visited."
The cassava mosaic disease is one of the most widespread and economically damaging crop diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, and is caused by two geminiviruses,
African cassava mosaic virus, and East African cassava mosaic virus. Both viruses are transmitted by the ubiquitous whitefly,
Bemisia tabaci, and together, they probably cause a yield loss of cassava valued at
2 billion US dollars each year in Africa. Currently, various stains of the viruses have sprung up causing a severe form of the disease (Uganda,
Western Kenya, Western Tanzania, D R. Congo). Fortunately, IITA has the solutions.
IITA, based in Nigeria, carries out research on the staple food crops of sub-Saharan Africa, including cassava. Many mosaic-resistant cassava varieties have been developed, but the war in DR Congo has disrupted the normal dissemination channels, as well as agricultural support systems within the country. A new strain of the disease has added to the problem, and other pests and diseases have also compounded the situation.
Reduced cassava harvests have dramatically increased the market price of leaves and roots, so that many people can no longer afford what was their main calorie source. This has been further exacerbated by problems with inter-regional food movement because of civil unrest. With a food crisis imminent, the government recognized that immediate action was needed.
The project will begin with a rapid action phase to alleviate the immediate threat of famine. This phase, which will be coordinated by IITA's Disaster Relief Unit, will see massive multiplication and distribution of
mosaic-resistant cassava plants to the most affected areas. IITA's tissue culture laboratory will produce 'clean' (disease-free) planting material for rapid dissemination without the need for normal quarantine procedures.
Enter here to see the steps involved in producing disease-free Cassava plant.
This work will build on experiences with similar disaster relief work in Angola and Sierra Leone.
Longer term measures will include rehabilitation of tissue culture facilities within DR Congo and capacity building so that diseases and pests can be managed in the future. New approaches to cassava marketing will also be explored. The project involves many partners, including donors, national agricultural researchers, the Congolese government, NGOs, and the private sector, working in collaboration to make cassava production sustainable in DR Congo.
Further information:
Alfred Dixon: a.dixon@cgiar.org Tel: (+234 2) 241 2626, ext. 2334
http://www.iita.org
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