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The root rot disease was first discovered in Tanzania eight decades ago and is gradually moving westward
A woman peels off cassava outer layers for the main dish. 39, attieke in Abidjan, May 22, 2018. [19659003ABIDJAN:Researchersfromahalf-dozenstatesinAfricahavefoundthatanunexplained"ebola"-maladieviralroot-plantcoulddestroythestrengthoftheregionandcondemnmillionsofpeopletothe
Their enemy is cassava brown streak disease (CBSD), a virus that strikes cassava, also called cassava, which in some countries of the region is consumed by 80% of the population [19659002] The disease of root rot was first discovered in Tanzania eight decades ago and is gradually moving westward.
"In Central Africa, it has eliminated between 90 and 100% of cassava production – it's now" Justin Pita, head of the research program, said in a statement. AFP
"This is a very big threat, it must be taken very seriously."
In Uganda, 3,000 people died of starvation in the 1990s after the dreaded disease appeared, striking especially small farmers.
"You can call it the Ebola virus of cassava," Pita said.
The WAVE project (West African Virus Epidemiology), a multi-million dollar program funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, aims to protect the region.
Based in Bingerville, on the outskirts of the Ivorian economic capital Abidjan, it brings together six countries from West Africa – Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Côte d '. Ivory, Nigeria and Togo – as well as the Democratic Republic of Congo
Much is already known about CBSD – it is generally believed that the virus is spread by an insect called leaf whitefly. silver and also cuttings taken from infected plants.
But there are still gaps They understand the understanding of the vulnerability of local cassava strains to the virus and the identification of points in the cassava trade that can help a localized outbreak of CBSD . to swell in an epidemic.
The program will also examine initiatives to help increase performance – a key challenge in a region with growing population growth.
"The current average The yield of cassava (in West Africa) is 10 to 12 tonnes per hectare (4 to 4.8 tonnes per acre), but it could reach 40 tonnes per hectare, "said Odile Attanasso, Benin's minister of higher education and scientific research
" In Asia, they have yields of 22 tonnes per hectare. "
'Attieke is our husband'
The WAVE project hopes to go beyond the laboratory and test fields. ]
She also wants to leverage the influence of community leaders and leaders to raise CBSD awareness and promote better farming practices, such as confining and destroying crops in infested areas and banning cuttings of manioc
"We, kings and traditional chiefs, are the most Interface between the people and the government, "said Amon Tanoe, the ceremonial monarch of the coastal region of Grand Bassam in Cote d'Ivoire.
The coast is a huge consumer of cassava – the starchy root is typically pulped and fermented and served in an accompanying dish called attieke
In Affery, a large cassava-producing region about 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of the economic capital of Abidjan, Attieke manufacturers have expressed deep concern about the threat of CBSD
"Attieke is our husband," said Nathalie Monet Apo, head of the Attieke Producers' Association, highlighting how cassava is intimately linked to Ivorian life
"If the disease manifests itself, it will be dramatic for our families and our community."
"They must find a cure for this disease – it is thanks to the culture of cassava that I am able to educate my four children," says Blandine Yapo Sopi in throwing an eye on a harvested cassava mound she hoped to bring 450,000 CFA francs ($ 800, Dh2,936).
