Sustainable Cassava Development in Africa: Experiences from China

At the cassava processing plant of Gombe Farm in the Republic of Congo, an automated line performs peeling, slicing, grinding, and drying in a single process. Local farmer Osaike, holding a freshly packaged bag of cassava flour, expressed satisfaction: “This Chinese production line means cassava processing is no longer dependent on weather conditions. We can now stably supply 30 tons of products every day.”

The once backward practice of manual soaking has been replaced by fully automated production, increasing cassava flour processing efficiency fifteenfold. This transformation is the result of more than a decade of sustained scientific and technological support from the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS), which has promoted talent cultivation and technical assistance to enhance the cassava industry in Africa.

Rooted in China’s tropical zones, CATAS provides science and technology support for China’s agricultural “going global” strategy and undertakes tropical agricultural assistance abroad, serving the country’s broader diplomatic agenda.

Africa’s Cassava Challenges and China’s Solutions

Cassava is the world’s sixth-largest food crop and a key raw material for feed production, food processing, and various industrial applications. As a primary staple in many African countries, cassava is vital for food security, yet it faces outdated varieties and technologies, low yields, and limited processing capacity.

According to FAO data, cassava is cultivated in more than 40 African countries. In 2022, production reached 210 million tons, accounting for 36.2% of the continent’s total grain output. However, average yields were only 8.55 tons per hectare—less than 60% of the world average (15 tons per hectare).

To strengthen the sustainable development of cassava and other staple crops in Africa, China established an agricultural demonstration centre in the Republic of the Congo in 2007, spearheading cassava industry improvements across the continent. CATAS has been responsible for the centre’s construction and operation, sending dozens of experts to provide technical assistance.

In Congo (Brazzaville) and Ghana, cassava yields rose from less than one ton per mu (≈0.067 hectare) to three tons, significantly improving local food security.

CATAS tackled the root issues by breeding and promoting cassava varieties adapted to African climates and soils. Its National Cassava Germplasm Bank in Danzhou, Hainan Province, maintains more than 900 genetic resources—the world’s largest “cassava gene bank.” Researchers applied genome-editing technology to develop the world’s first pest-resistant cassava variety, “CATAS 70,” which overcame Nigeria’s longstanding two-spotted spider mite problem. The “South China No. 13” variety, developed for Africa’s dry season, achieved record yields of 51 tons per hectare in Ghana, 5.6 times the local average.

In a Nigerian student’s laboratory, CATAS researcher Chen Qing guided Oluwole Gregory, from the world’s largest cassava-producing country, in analysing cassava resistance genes. Gregory personally witnessed the birth of “CATAS 70,” which reduced pesticide use by 70% and saved Nigeria an estimated USD 1.2 billion annually in pest-related losses.

In 2024, CATAS researcher Li Hanfeng and his team established the first local cassava germplasm resource bank in Congo (Brazzaville), collecting 15 rare accessions and identifying three accessions resistant to cassava mosaic virus, laying a foundation for future cassava breeding in Africa.

Mechanization Revolution and Circular Economy

In July 2021, the CATAS-developed vibrating chain cassava harvester debuted in Ghana, marking the introduction of tropical agricultural machinery to overseas markets. Researcher Deng Ganran from the CATAS Institute of Agricultural Machinery explained that the 4UML-150 harvester, tailored for African terrain, uses an elastic vibrating chain sieve and can dig six mu of cassava per hour—twenty times faster than manual harvesting. The supporting 2CM-2 planter integrates ridge-forming and sowing with a miss-seeding rate of less than 5%, helping Ugandan farmers reduce planting costs by 40%. Today, CATAS’s “wide–narrow dual-row ridge planting technology” has been listed as a recommended technology by China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, with more than 200,000 mu promoted in Ghana, Nigeria, and elsewhere.

Processing innovations have also transformed the industry. At the demonstration centre in Congo (Brazzaville), the CATAS-built automated production line reduced cassava processing time from 10 days to just 1 hour. Fresh cassava now goes directly from washing and peeling to crushing and drying, eliminating fungal contamination risks from traditional seven-day water soaking. Thanks to this line, annual cassava flour output has increased to 4,000 tons, purchase prices have risen by 50%, and more than 300 farmers have benefited.

Chinese technology has also advanced the comprehensive utilization of cassava. CATAS pioneered a “cassava–mushroom–feed” recycling chain: cassava residue is used to grow oyster mushrooms with a 98% bioconversion rate, and the spent substrate processed into feed with 20% higher protein content, adding over USD 200 in value per ton of cassava.

On May 23, 2025, at the 7th International Exhibition of Agriculture and Animal Resources in Côte d’Ivoire, CATAS’s “reconstituted cassava rice” caused a sensation. This ready-to-eat staple food is already being piloted in Liberia, where childhood malnutrition rates have dropped by 12%.

From Teaching “Fishing” to Local Innovation

CATAS has built a “research–training–entrepreneurship” system to provide sustainable momentum for African agriculture. In terms of research platforms, CATAS established the “China Hainan–Nigeria Umudike Cassava Joint Research Laboratory” in 2024, focusing on sharing germplasm and breeding technologies to jointly develop cassava varieties suited to African conditions and resistant to cassava mosaic disease in China.

According to CATAS Vice President Li Jihua, by 2024 the academy had set up 24 agricultural technology demonstration bases in Africa and trained more than 6,000 participants from over 50 countries. It compiled a bilingual (English-French) Manual on Standardized Cassava Production Techniques, covering 12 core areas from rapid seedling propagation to green pest control, leading to a 68% local adoption rate of the technology and establishing localized extension networks in 19 countries.

In 2024, CATAS introduced innovative training in Rwanda with 20 days of hands-on teaching. One participant, Elia, learned to use cassava leaves for feed and stems for mushroom cultivation, later founding a business processing 800 tons of cassava byproducts annually. In Ghana, farmers now receive cassava harvest alerts via mobile apps, reducing postharvest losses by 30%.

Reflecting on his time studying green pest control techniques at CATAS’s Hainan laboratory, Nigerian student Gregory said: “China’s solutions not only taught us how to lower production costs but also inspired us to innovate independently.”

Doubling Yields for Sustainable Food Security

In November 2023, the 2nd China–Africa Agricultural Cooperation Forum launched the Africa Cassava Yield Doubling Plan, signalling a new phase of collaboration. CATAS then initiated its own plan to promote the “localized breeding + mechanization + deep processing” model across 500,000 hectares of African farmland, aiming to double yields from 8.55 to 17 tons per hectare. The plan integrates five key projects: localized breeding, improved seed adoption, postharvest loss reduction, mechanization, and comprehensive utilization.

Currently, CATAS is demonstrating cassava production, processing, and mechanization technologies in Congo (Brazzaville), Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana. Together with Nigeria’s National Root Crops Research Institute, CATAS’s Germplasm Resources Institute is advancing joint research on cassava breeding, pest control, and product processing through the “China Hainan–Nigeria Umudike Cassava Joint Research Laboratory,” while co-developing international cooperation projects.

In 2024, with CATAS’s technical support, the first joint China–Africa food-grade cassava flour production line was launched in Nigeria, with an annual output of 12,000 tons to replace imported wheat. In Mozambique, the “cassava–legume intercropping” model increased soil organic matter by 0.3% annually while reducing fertilizer use by 35%.

The story of farmer Osaike is being replicated across Africa. After planting Chinese cassava varieties, her cassava tubers grew to 20 kilograms each, and her income increased fourfold. “Before, I only worried about having enough to eat. Now I can send my children to university,” she said, proudly pointing to her newly cultivated four hectares of cassava—symbolizing a bountiful future for China–Africa cooperation.

Former president of the African Academy of Sciences, Dakora, praised CATAS’s decade-long agricultural science assistance: “Chinese technologies along the cassava value chain are contributing to Africa’s progress toward food sovereignty.”

As harvesters roll across vast cassava fields along the Congo River and reconstituted cassava rice is served at family tables, this cross-continental collaboration in science and technology is fostering a thriving industry and creating a solid foundation for continued China–Africa agricultural cooperation.