Blog posts from kenya

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(Kenya CitizenTV) SMART FARM | GMO cassava

August 18, 2021 – Kenya CitizenTV “Smart Farm” reporter Denis Otieno visits KALRO scientist Catherine Taracha in the field for an update on disease resistant cassava. Cassava represents an important crop especially in the western part of Kenya, where sixty percent of the tuber is grown. Farmers however face a nightmare every season as they…

Intl Collaboration Receives Regulatory Approval of Disease Resistant Cassava in Kenya

August 3, 2021 – The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) has received approval from the Kenyan National Biosafety Authority (NBA) for environmental release of cassava that is resistant to cassava brown streak disease (CBSD). The approval paves the way for conducting national performance trials (NPTs), the final step of testing new varieties before…

Newly-published study details comprehensive nutrient analysis of biotech cassava

An East African led team of scientists has published a comprehensive comparative assessment of the principal nutrients, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, and secondary metabolites in the leaves and storage roots from disease resistant (4046) cassava and its conventional parent (TME 204).   These data were collected from field trials in Kenya and Uganda…

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…

Cassava deserves more attention in the BIG FOUR

Improving food security in Kenya requires a comprehensive approach, including looking at alternative staple foods beyond maize, rice, and wheat. Cassava, the fifth major food crop in the world, is a good alternative. Besides its importance as a key food security crop, it can also generate thousands of jobs along the value chain due to…

Kenya: Embracing dialogue on GMO crops

A national dialogue on GM crops was held in Nairobi on April 24, signalling strong public interest in policies that enable the safe use of this technology for disease resistant cassava and other crops. Led by the Principal Secretary for Agricultural Research Prof. Hamadi Boga, and moderated by one of Kenya’s most respected media editors,…