Cassava
ZAMBIA CASSAVA KEY FIGURES
| Yield Improvement | Disease-Free Bundles Distributed | Farmers Reached | Producing Provinces |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 to over 20 Mt/hectare | 8,500 | 1,000 | 6 |
A Food and Agriculture Organization-supported project has lifted cassava yields in Zambia’s Chienge and Kaputa districts from six tonnes to over 20 tonnes per hectare, through the distribution of 8,500 disease-free cassava planting bundles to 1,000 farmers.
The Ministry of Agriculture, working with the Zambia Agriculture Research Institute, is undertaking full surveillance for Cassava Brown Streak Disease and Cassava Mosaic Disease across Zambia’s six cassava-producing provinces to establish the current extent of spread, incidence and severity.
Disease Management and Yield Recovery
The Ministry of Agriculture, with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization, undertook a Technical Cooperation training project for extension staff in Nchelenge District, Luapula Province, on cassava production, pests and diseases[1]. Zambia Agriculture Research Institute Director Ndashe Kapulu said the project distributed 8,500 disease-free cassava planting bundles to 1,000 farmers in Chienge and Kaputa districts, training farmers and extension officers on cassava production, disease symptom and pest identification, and management of Cassava Brown Streak Disease and Cassava Mosaic Disease[1]. The project lifted yields from a previous average of six tonnes per hectare to over 20 tonnes per hectare[1]. Dr. Kapulu said the Ministry wants to undertake full surveillance for both diseases across Zambia’s six cassava-producing provinces to establish the current extent of spread, incidence and severity[1].
Cassava’s Role in Livelihoods
Nchelenge District Agricultural Co-ordinator Arnold Muimui said cassava is an economic and livelihood crop in the district, whose leaves are used as vegetables in diets while its roots are sold fresh as a snack or dried and milled into flour for Nshima, and that many families depend on it for household income, nutrition and food security[1].
Investment Opportunities
The demonstrated yield gain from disease-free planting material, from six to over 20 tonnes per hectare, points to a large, still largely untapped productivity gap across Zambia’s broader cassava-producing base beyond the initial Chienge and Kaputa pilot districts, relevant to input suppliers, processors and value-chain investors in a crop that already underpins food security and household income in Luapula and other producing provinces[1].
Last Update: September 2026
