Andres Espineira's List: Nigeria

• Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, Vice president, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa
• First is that AGRA has been investing in the development and dissemination of improved varieties of crops that are adapted to different agro ecological conditions of Africa.
• • Improved cassava green

• Secondly, many of these varieties include new varieties of rice, upland rice; low land rice; high yielding varieties of cassava; high yielding varieties of sweet potatoes, it is called orange sweet potato which has been adopted massively in Mozambique. It also includes a lot of work in soya beans. We have released a lot of beans varieties and maize; new maize varieties in east and southern Africa.

   
• • It was companies selling the seeds (blue)
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• In the last 18 months, we have supported the development of new seed companies in Africa that are able to commercialise these new varieties to farmers. Last year alone, these new seed companies sold about 6000 metric tonnes of seeds to farmers.
• In the last 18 months, we have supported the development of new seed companies in Africa that are able to commercialise these new varieties to farmers. Last year alone, these new seed companies sold about 6000 metric tonnes of seeds to farmers.
• One of the reasons these farmers are rapidly using this new technology is because it is easier for them to get. We have in the last two years helped to develop and certify roughly 5000 plus agro_dealers, these are small shops that sell seeds and fertilizers in rural areas and last year alone, in three countries - Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya - they sold $45m worth of seeds and fertilizers.
• n the last 18 months, we have also helped to mobilize about $160m of farm credit for farmers, so basically, a lot of these initiatives are beginning to have impact on the ground, but I must credit African governments, they are beginning to take agriculture seriously. About six or seven of them now are putting 10% of their budget into Agriculture as the heads of state agreed in 2003.

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• Agricultural Techniques such as the use of fertilizers, pesticides, plant breeding, crop rotation and Refining of hydrocarbon to produce product such as oil, fuel, gas, and even the raw materials used in our various industries today. In the medical and technological Institution, Science and technology are the leading name.

• These introduced   species are called exotic species. The following case study examines   one of the most important exotic species introduced into Nigeria, the cassava   plant.
• The cassava plant   was an intentional introduction of an exotic species.
• The Portuguese imported   cassava from South America approximately 200 years ago
• Cassava had and has many advantages over other indigenous crops. First, cassava   yields much greater harvests than other tuber crops (up to 35 tonnes of tubers   per hectare). Second, cassava can be grown on poor to average soils.
• Finally, raw   cassava can be quickly processed into an affordable food known as "gari"
• In many places where fallow periods have declined, crops yields have also declined   dramatically. This often leads to the abandonment of fields or the switch to   a different crop. Yam   is one crop that has experienced declining yields. In areas of declining yields,   cassava has often been substituted. While cassava grows well in average to poor   soils, it is not as nutritious or as popular as yam. Thus, because of declining   soil fertility, humans have been forced to modify the crops that they grow

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• Cassava is one of the most important crops in Nigeria. It is the most widely cultivated crop in the southern part of the country in terms of area devoted to it and number of farmers growing it.

• Cassava is one of the most important crops in Nigeria. It is the most widely cultivated crop in the southern part of the country in terms of area devoted to it and number of farmers growing it. Indeed, it is grown by almost every household. Cassava has also increased in importance in the Middle Belt in recent years. In all places, cassava has become very popular as a food and cash crop and is fast replacing yam and other traditional staples of the area. In all, over four-fifths of the cultivable land area is suitable for cassava growing (Figure 1).

    
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  mproved cassava varieties were bred for high yield (high dry matter content), pest disease resistance, good product quality and early maturity, among other desired qualities. Cassava root yield is significantly higher for improved than for local varieties (Nweke et al., 1997). Higher root yield will result in larger total production per unit area;

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