Farmer's Weekly

Cassava: a largely ignored crop with huge potential in South Africa

Cassava (Manihot esculenta), also known in some African countries as tapioca, mandioca, yuca or umdumbulu, was domesticated mainly on the south-western rim of the Amazon in South America. In the 16th century, when trade between Brazil and Africa began, Portuguese traders brought the crop to the Congo Basin. Two centuries later, it was introduced independently to East Africa and Madagascar.

Cassava is a root tuber similar to the sweet potato. It is drought-tolerant, grows in poor soil conditions, and requires little to

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