Poverty Reduction, Sustainable Agricultural Development, and the Cassava Value Chain in Nigeria

Abstract

This work explores the potential of the cassava crop and its value chain in helping alleviate poverty among cassava farmers and a range of other stakeholders along its value chain, especially in Nigeria’s rural areas. It adopts the empirical method of analysis and contends that investments in activities that enhance the cassava value chain would, among other things, lead to increases in farmers’ income. Until recently, cassava was tagged a “poor man’s crop” and grown as a shield against hunger and as a means of generating income by rural dwellers. However, the recent discovery of high yield cassava plants and several new industrial uses for processed cassava tuber has transformed it into a sort-after crop by high-end industrial users.