The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation announced on Tuesday that its Save and Grow model of sustainable agriculture can sustainably increase cassava yields by up to 400 percent.

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FAO said the improved yields would "help turn this staple from a poor people's food into a 21st Century crop." The UN organisation has been promoting agricultural biodiversity and championing less common food crops this year, through its work with the Slow Food movement and focus on quinoa and now cassava.

In a newly-published field guide detailing Save and Grow's applications to cassava smallholder production, FAO noted that global cassava output has increased by 60 percent since 2000 and is set to accelerate further over the current decade as policymakers recognise its potential.

However, the organisation warned against using an input-intensive, 'business as usual' approach pioneered during last century's  Green Revolution to boost cassava production, which it said would risk causing further damage to the environment, increasing greenhouse gas emissions which are leading to climate change and thereby increasing food insecurity.

FAO instead suggested its novel approach, which focuses on long-term improvements to soil health rather than chemical inputs to achieve improvements, is a lower-impact alternative to the dominant paradigm.  Under Save and Grow, growers are advised to minimize soil disturbance through conventional tillage such as ploughing, and maintain a protective cover of vegetation over soil. The approach also advocates mixed cropping, integrated pest management and crop rotation.

Spectacular results

Trials conducted around the world have provided encouraging results; in Viet Nam, where farmers used technological improvements alongside the low-impact practices, delivered yield increases from 8.5 tonnes to 36 tonnes (or over 400 percent). Further trials in the Democratic Republic of Congo, showed that through training in the use of healthy planting materials, mulching and intercropping, farmers attending field schools achieved yield increases of up to 250 percent.

In Colombia, rotating cassava with beans and sorghum restored yields where mineral fertiliser alone had failed.

Cassava is a versatile crop, grown by smallholders in more than 100 countries. The roots are rich in carbohydrates and leaves provide protein, iron, calcium and vitamins A and C. According to FAO, it has added benefits in that other parts of the plant can be used as good quality animal feed and that certain varieties have industrial uses (for example in the production of biofuel).

Another important consideration is that of the major staple crops in Africa, hardy, resilient cassava is expected to be the least affected by advancing climate change.