Constraints to smallholders participation in Cassava value ... - aaacp

It was noted that although farm sizes were small, access to land is not a constraint and farmerswishing to expand landholdings could apply to local authorities. Farm size was inversely related toproximity to the road.3.2 Agricultural systemRegarding agricultural production, manyokola was the dominant cassava variety, the first choice ofover 50% of growers. Among cassava growers, the attributes of improved varieties were more highlyappreciated than those of the traditional varieties. In addition to maize and cassava, most growerscultivated groundnuts (78%) and sweet potato (57%), with soya, sorghum, sunflower, vegetables andbeans as other crops in a mixed system. 69% of respondents claimed to have income sources inaddition to that derived from livestock sales and labouring. Most commonly, this was the sale ofagricultural produce (24% of the total), and the rest was a variety of salaried and occasional/casualemployments, local self-employment, and remittances (4% only).3.3 Cassava productionUptake of cassava production by respondents was low through most of the 1990s and then receiveda boost in 1997. The acceleration of production received another large boost in 2007 and 2008. Ofthe 88 cassava growers, 65% of the sample, said that over a period of the last three years they hadincreased the area of cassava grown (from an increase of 0.3 limas to a maximum increase of 14limas, with 9% unsure) and 21% said that they had decreased the area grown, by a range of 0.1 to2.75 limas). For 18% of growers there had been no change in area. One respondent, whose farm sizewas 25 limas, had expanded the cassava area by 14 limas. The socioeconomic data for this growerwere unremarkable except that he owned a hammer mill and had been growing cassava since 1998.3.4 Household heterogeneityDifferences between household groups were identified by cross-tabulation and chi 2 tests in respectof farm scale, commercial orientation and level of organisation:Compared with other growers, grower/sellers of IVs:• cultivated larger areas of cassava (p