Collaboration between CIAT and National Starch
El Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) and National Starch have signed a collaboration agreement to research and evaluate the properties of waxy cassava, with the aim to create new field of uses with an economic added value that will benefit cassava farmers.
With this agreement CIAT grants National Starch access to samples of its waxy cassava to research on cassava’s starch properties and evaluate its utility and applicability in specific fields of use. In this way new uses for cassava starch will be created and farmers will be encouraged to use cassava as a cash crop along with its traditional usage as a food crop. It is anticipated that, by creating demand for specialty products based on waxy cassava, such crops will be priced at a premium relative to conventional cassava, which may afford farmers a higher income per hectare planted and/or strengthen the markets for cassava products.
This collaboration agreement is an excellent example of how the public and private sector can work together enabling the public sector to assist poor-resourced farmers, and allowing the private sector to achieve its economic goals. A good understanding of each party’s requirements and necessities are fundamental to make a collaboration work
CIAT is an international research institute located in Palmira, Colombia, and a member of the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). CIAT’s mission is to reduce hunger and poverty and improve human health in the tropics through research aimed at increasing the eco-efficiency of agriculture. With a staff of more than 700 people between Latin America, Eastern Africa and a limited presence in Asia, CIAT focuses its research in three areas: Agrobioversity (specifically on Cassava, Beans, Tropical Forages and Rice for Latin America); Tropical Soils and Fertility (specifically on Integrated Soil Fertility Management and Sustainable Land Management); and Latin America and the Caribbean (specifically on Decision and Policy Analysis, Tropical Fruits, and Amazon Initiative).
National Starch, a subsidiary of AkzoNobel, is a leading global supplier of specialty starches with operations in 22 countries. Headquartered in Bridgewater, New Jersey, the company develops, makes and markets nature-based, functional and nutritional ingredients which can create a wide range of desirable attributes in many types of foods and beverages. Its industrial specialty starches help increase the productivity and sustainability of paper manufacturers and improve the quality of paper products. Its specialty biomaterials deliver sensorial, performance and processing benefits along with improved levels of sustainability in a wide array of consumer goods and industrial applications. For more information on National Starch’s businesses, please visit www.foodinnovation.com or www.papermakinginnovation.com.