Food and Nutrition Policy

Cassava has attained the status of either dominant staple or co-staple in certain parts of the world where it contributes more than 50 per cent of the energy requirements of a bulk of the population. The nutritional hazards of cassava dependency require careful attention. It is necessary to adopt a systems approach and study the whole, often complex, food/nutrition system so as to understand it and arrive at a more realistic appraisal of the problems of cassava-dependence However, increasing dependence on cassava may result in gradually increasing quantities of its products being fed to young children. Replacement of more protein-rich weaning foods by cassava products should be avoided in order to safeguard young children from cassava toxicity and protein deficiency. Increased production of cassava as part of a food system should also involve the production of complementary foods to be consumed with cassava. Alternatively, the strategy should involve farming systems that ensure enough increases in cassava production to allow the resulting profit to be used to purchase all of the food that the farmer needs. A systems approach to the study of a cassava-dependent culture reveals many intervention opportunities in production, harvesting, processing, storage, marketing, home preparation, and transportation that can significantly minimize nutritional hazards while holding high potential for improving human welfare.