PHOTO STORY OF ANNUAL REVIEW MEETING HELD AT NATURAL RESOURCES INSTITUTE (NRI)

 Natural Resources Institute (NRI) of the University of Greenwich recently hosted partners of Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (CAVA II) project on a 3 day’s project review and update meeting. These included the Project Directorate Team (PDO), CAVA II Nigeria team, CAVA II Uganda team, CAVA II Malawi team, CAVA II Tanzania team, the Program officer from BMGF and the NRI team. The meeting was organised in order to evaluate the progress made by the country teams and other partners and provide guidance on effective implementation of the project's activities.

Photo story:

Group photograph of participants at the meeting

CAVA II Ghana Assistant Country Manager Mr Komlaga presenting plans for 2017

CAVA II Uganda Country Manager during his presentation at the meeting

Prof. Sanni, Country Manager for CAVA II Nigeria presenting on activities in Nigeria

CAVA II Country Manager Malawi, presenting on successes of new cassava value chains in Malawi

Participants at the meeting

Participants at the meeting

CAVA II Project Director and his deputy brain storming on 2017 project activities

Dr. Adebosola and Prof. Kolawole Adebayo

Participants during tea break

Live stock Expert, Dr. Kazeem Bello at the meeting

The Director NRI, Prof. Andrew Wesby and Prof. Ben Bennett

I was a man of numbers and now I am counting money from my efforts with cassava

 Started small, grew bigger and is now ranked the leading Cassava seed multiplier in the whole of East Africa.  Mr. Akutu Augustine 54 years married with 9 children. Farming has given him a life he had never imagined. He has been able to educate his children, set up a firm home and gone beyond, to become a man of great influence within the community. His passion for farming stems from his upbringing.

Mr. Akutu and his wife (with head scarf) join in on the work to peel cassava for processing

“My father was a farmer but he was more into cattle rearing. He never put in much effort in cassava farming; in fact he never encouraged it. I however changed it all back in 1978 when I embarked on a new journey and took to farming cassava. I was a boy then but, look, 39 years later, this is how much I have achieved from cassava “remarks Akutu. ‘By the way, back when I was in school, I never liked any of the other subjects except Maths. I was a man of numbers and now I am counting money from my cassava efforts.” He chuckles after this remark.

Mr. Akuttu owns 16 acres of NaSE 14 and another 84 acres of NaROCASS 1 on his farm in Amucu. Additionally, Akutu has cleared an additional 122 acres of land at his farm to expand his multiplication of clean cassava seed. He has also purchased 120 acres of land at his home on which he intends to multiply more of NaROCASS 1 and NaSE 14 cassava varieties.

As a model farmer, the community now turns to him for advice on cassava production, both processing and farming. He has reached out to over 1,000 farmers in Amuria District and beyond. “Cassava is giving me good record, even at home. I train other farmers in good agronomic practices, and even avail them knowledge and skills in processing to obtain High quality cassava flour. In a week, I get at least 30 farmers coming to see me to learn. Since 2013 when AfrII discovered me and extended such knowledge, I have since become a ‘big’ man”

Mr. Akutuwith his NaROCASS 1 after a good harvest of root for processing

“Beyond just availing knowledge, my wife and I support fellow community members in times of hardships for example, when a neighbour loses a loved one, we give them both dried and fresh cassava to cater for food. We have also created employment because people come to peel cassava for us when we are going to process, from this, they earn some good money to keep them going. Also, by hiring a Vehicle to transport my cassava from my garden in Amucu to home where we do the processing, this is money for that vehicle.” His garden is about 20 Kms from his home. In addition, due to the ongoing hunger badly affecting the region, Mr. Akuttu says he is assisting whenever he can by giving out some root to the farmers that approach him in plight of hunger.

Apart from multiplying cassava, Mr. Akutu is also a prominent processor of High Quality Cassava Chips using a chipper he acquired through AfrII under the CAVA II Project. “I have bigger dreams. I want to establish a cassava factory in Amuria because today, we have a lot of farmers that have taken to farming cassava on bigger pieces of land. Now, with all this cassava, why can’t I, Akutu, set up a cassava factory for it? Smiled Akutu. Before this, he intends to purchase the inflatable mobile solar dryer for which he is greatly interested and is already setting savings aside to fund this.

Mr. Akutu with his wife and first born on their newly purchased 120 acres for multiplication of NaROCASS 1 and NaSE 14

 In 2016, Mr. Akutu sold 6000 bags of stem cuttings that earned him about 40 Million Uganda Shillings. He sold an additional 330 bags that earned him about 30 Million Uganda shillings. Each bag goes 30,000 Uganda shillings.This year 2017, he has been given an LPO to supply 481 bags of cassava stem cuttings to Abim District. This deal is yet to be another breakthrough for Mr. Akutu and his family.

The Akutu family in front of their home in Amuria District.

.: Cassava production earned my husband his degree to...

.: Cassava production earned my husband his degree to...:   When Molly Egwang sits to narrate her story, it is one you will most likely not believe if you just  heard it from someone as they tel...

Cassava production earned my husband his degree to become a head teacher

 When Molly Egwang sits to narrate her story, it is one you will most likely not believe if you just 

heard it from someone as they tell it to you, for, only she can tell it with the passion it deserves. Molly and Clarkson Egwang multiplys cassava seed and are also processors of HQCC. This is their story.

Egwang Clarkson, 43, and his wife Molly Egwang,40 years live in an iron roofed brick house fitted with solar lighting at their village home in Apac District. They have 7 children of their own and have taken into their care, 6 orphans. The Egwangs belong to the farmer group -Agency for Food Security Network (AFOSEN) of which Molly is the Chairperson. The group comprises 359 members including 188 women.

Molly Egwang in one of her cassava gardens at home in Apac District

Apart from farming cassava, Mr. Egwang has taken on a career of Education, thanks to earnings they made from cassava production that made his dream come to reality.

“When we got the 3.5 Million Shillings from the stem cuttings we sold, I made sure I divide this money to fund both my husband and our children’s education. He enrolled to Kampala International University (KIU) to attain his degree in Education so as to attain his big dream of becoming a head teacher. And, yes, we made it, he graduated” says Molly excitedly.  Mr. Egwang is now the Head Teacher of Apwori Primary School in Apac District.

Molly Egwang clears her 1.3acre piece of land for multiplication of NaSE14 this year 2017

“As a family, we plan together, my wife and i. I was in school, my children were in school, we had to eat, we had to seek medical care when necessary and we even had to dress. You can see, there was lot demanding and yet here we are. I have advanced in my career, our house is even plastered and my children are all in school. We appreciate what cassava farming has contributed to our lives” remarks Mr. Egwang.

 Their first born son, Ronald Egwang has completed his Secondary level and hopes to take on an Agricultural course at the university. “For me, this has a sentimental feeling to it seeing how far agriculture has brought me in life” Ronald looks up to his mother whom he adores as influential and describes her zeal and passion for farming as fascinating.

 The couple has also managed to purchase a motorcycle. This has ably eased Mr. Egwang’s transport challenges for he is able to get to his job at the school on time.They have also bought a cow and plastered their house at a cost of 4.5 million shillings

Molly on her 2.5 already cleared land intended for multiplication of NaROCASS 1 this year 2017

The Egwangs currently own a 6acre garden of NaSE 14 and 1 acre of NaROCASS1.

“Having these gardens has largely supported our processing, we are able to sustain fresh root supply because these varieties are high yielding. The varieties also have less cyanide which makes the processing go on smooth” says Molly.

In 2015, they made earnings of 2.3 Million shillings from processing. In 2016, they processed 32 tons and supplied to local markets at 900 shillings per kilo. Also got 6.8 Million shillings from stem cuttings sold in 2015. Molly has mastered all the required agronomic practices and a visit to her cassava garden would reveal that she plants the cassava in rows, weeds and properly cares for her garden as is expected.

She explains that it is important to plant in rows and at the right spacing to get better seed quality and maximum yields.With the proceeds of their enterprise, the couple pays for their children’s education and are also supporting orphans among other responsibilities. The plans for this couple in cassava production are bigger. Molly has already cleared 2.5 acres of land to multiply the NaROCASS 1 variety in March 2017. She has also cleared another 1.3 acres to multiply the NaSE 14 variety this year.

Mr.and Mrs Egwang at their home in Apac District. Mr. Egwang was supported through cassava production and processing to attain his degree in Education

Their farmer group has been identified to supply 16,000 bags of cuttings to the Government of Rwanda. They sell at 32,000 shillings per bag to the regional markets. She has also encouraged fellow farmers to increase their acreage of cassava production to about 2 acres. She also trains farmers in good agronomic practices, knowledge she attained from trainings extended to her through CAVA II project.