Biofortification
of Cassava
A Workshop in Uganda to Develop a 4-year
Work Plan
 A
workshop was held in Mukono (Uganda) on September 16 and 17
among cassava scientists from Asia, Africa and Latin America.
A total of 42 people participated in this meeting whose purpose
was to develop the work plan, within the Biofortification
Initative, for cassava. Human and plant nutritionists, field
and molecular breeders, seed production specialists, epidemiologists,
agronomists and biotechnologists from National Agriculture
Research Systems, NGOs (CRS, World Vision, and Hellen Keller
Intl), CG System Institutions (CIAT and IITA), Advanced Research
Laboratories from Europe, Brazil, USA and Australia, constituted
a diverse group of people with an exceptional complementary
expertise.
Promising results were presented regarding the range of variation
for carotene content in cassava roots and foliage, for the
uniformity of carotenes in different roots and root sections,
as well as for their stability upon different processing methods.
The potential of cassava roots and foliage to be used as complementary
sources of Iron and Zinc in the diet of target human populations
was also presented.
The workshop started with the formal opening by Dr. John
R.W. Aluma (NARO, Uganda) followed by presentations updating
the state of the knowledge regarding pro-vitamin A carotenoids
in cassava tissue as well as additional relevant information
on plant and human nutrition, biochemistry of carotene synthesis
and accumulation, genetic transformation of cassava, sampling
and quantification of minerals in plant tissue. Discussions
were then held around four main areas: breeding, biotechnology,
human nutrition and seed systems. Each discussion group developed
a working plan for the next four years. The meeting was officially
closed by Dr. Adiel Nkonge Mbabu (ASARECA, Uganda, Project
Advisory Committee - PAC Member)
As a result of this workshop a coherent and integral plan
was developed that will ultimately allow for the deployment
of elite cassava varieties, with adequate agronomic characteristics
and high carotene in the roots in target regions of Africa,
Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. Strategies for seed
multiplication and the promotion of "biofortified"
cassava ware also considered. The integration of the many
actors involved with this ambitious initiative was achieved
taking advantage of the complementary strengths among them.
Timetables and deliverables were specified for each of the
next four years. By the end of 2003 a detailed work plan for
cassava will be available.
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