Monthly Archives: June 2020

Kenyan farmers to reap big from disease-resistant cassava

By Dr. Simon Gichuki After years of meticulous research, the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) is seeking approval from the National Biosafety Authority to introduce a genetically modified cassava. The cassava line 4046 protects cassava from the devastating Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD).  KALRO cassava breeders have already begun working to develop new…

A Scientist’s Dream Coming True

My Journey Towards Development of Disease Resistant Cassava As a young boy, I grew up knowing cassava was an important food crop, especially in times of hunger. My grandmother used to narrate how the crop was once the only food available during the ‘cassava hunger’. But there was little cassava production in my region, and…