Let me tell you a story about my experience with cassavas, undoubtedly one of the most underrated crop in Kenya. I grew up in Busia which is one of the counties where cassavas is largely grown and I can say with no fear of contradiction that this crop raised me and my siblings.
Today as I was checking on my soya like I do every single day to ensure they’re growing perfectly, I ran into one of my neighbors, a loquacious man. Well, he was overseeing the harvesting of his eighteen-month cassava grown on about half an acre land by a hive of men and women. So he asked me to plant cassavas but before I could reply he was like, “yea, I know you guys know very little of the crop anyway.”
As a family we weren’t better off to say the least and life used to be tough and sometimes meals were hard to come by. But one thing that used to save us at such times was this one crop that mother never failed to grow in her farm. And in such times when there was nothing else to put on the table, she would just rush to the farm, uproot a stem or two and boil and we had something to eat. And from the same she prepared the flour for ugali which got us going. And that’s how most families in my region survived hunger and starvation that threatened other regions of this republic.
I laughed, I don’t why but I did. I laughed because of his assertion and insinuation, of course which was partly true. Our generation knows very little of cassava, on that he was right. But why and who’s to blame?
I think the government is responsible, no doubt. The Kenyan government isolated the crop. I’ve gone through the school system studying agriculture from highschool and I don’t remember hearing cassava mentioned in the syllabus like maize or potatoes. I rarely hear the ministry of agriculture in this country talking about the crop. People like me only know the crop because we grew up around it and it was basically part of our everyday diet. So little research has been on the crop in the recent years making it so hard for one to invest in it. So how do you blame the youth of today for knowing very little of the crop?
To answer the man, I simply said, “I only do short term crops, Sir.” That was true. Me, just like many of my fellow youths, we are impatient and I can’t stand a crop like cassava which needs at least eight months to mature, and longer than a year if you need a better yield.
As I wind up, my plea to the Kenyan government if it needs to end the perennial hunger and starvation in the country especially in the semi-arid regions is to give cassava due attention. Put back the crop in the syllabus, especially in the incoming Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) to inform learners all over the country about the crop and instill in them the necessary skills in the farming and management of the crop. The government also through it’s ministries should do research on the crop and educate the masses on the importance of the crop. That’s the only way we can change the perception and get more and more farmers including the young investing in the crop.
If you can’t consume it like us, then grow it for commercial purposes like my neighbor. Currently a kilo goes for about ksh. 50-60 which isn’t that bad compared to the expenses of growing it. And what makes the crop even more appealing is that it can be grown even in semi-arid regions like Ukambani. Not to forget that the cassava ugali is perfect for diabetic patients and so has this and many other health benefits. Apart from ugali and boiled ( eaten with mrenda), it can be roasted like I’ve seen some vendors in Nairobi doing.
And if you need more information on the cultivation of cassavas, reach out, I’ll be glad to help.