Cassava, a high-energy root vegetable, is the third most important agricultural crop grown in Southeast Asia, providing nutrition and a principal source of income to some 7 million smallholders. It is also an industrial crop—its roots are sold as animal feed or processed into starch, chips, noodles, or biofuels, bringing added income to smallholders.
Through introduction and breeding of improved germplasm, CIAT has had a significant impact on both the cassava farming systems and the cassava processing industry in Asia.
Now, 50% of the cassava grown in Asia is planted with CIAT-related varieties, with more than 70% in Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Average yields also increased by up to 100%.
Main Activities
- Promoting sustainable cassava production systems.
- Breeding and selection of high yielding cassava varieties of improved nutritional value.
- Developing specific starch qualities to meet market demands.
- Improving postharvest and processing technologies.
- Cassava as raw material for decentralized starch and bioethanol production.
Ongoing Projects
- Improving livelihoods of smallholder upland farmers through improved and integrated cassava-based cropping and livestock systems.
- Development of commercial cassava cultivars with waxy-starch roots.
Read about CIAT's projects in Asia.