You are kindly invited to participate in an upcoming moderated discussion on "Post-harvest cassava technology and value addition’ for food security and income generation on the BiomassNet Dgroup.
The discussion is facilitated by Prof. Paul Amaza, an agricultural economist. He has experience with cassava value chain and collaborating with IITA on a number of Cassava research for development projects. He has gained experiences in West Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa on Cassava value chain development and related issues.
Introduction
The primary driver of cassava’s short shelf life is the physiology of the root itself. If left unprocessed, cassava spoils in 24-48 hours after harvest due to a process referred to as post-harvest physiological deterioration (PPD). Because the cassava crop itself deteriorates so rapidly, it is vulnerable to various inefficiencies and poor practices along the value chain – for example, poor handling that damages the root and leads to quicker PPD.
The objectives of this discussion:
- To compile the various processing practices and strategies to reduce spoilage in cassava roots after harvest and enhance the shelf life of cassava
The first round of the discussion will run from 20th October and 10th November 2016. You are invited to share your experience and / or pertinent publication on this issue. For example, have you conducted research on post-harvest processing of cassava, or have you applied certain techniques as a practitioner with positive or negative outcomes? What lessons have you learnt?
You can join the discussion by clicking on the following link: https://dgroups.org/groups/biomassnet/join