CASTRAP has distributed over 313,375 improved cassava cuttings to 445 beneficiaries across the project landscape. This comes at the back of the CASTRAP baseline survey that identified access to improved and healthy cassava materials as a major challenge to effective cassava production in the South East of Liberia. Farmers’ livelihoods were negatively impacted by the consequences of low yields and low-quality crops.
In an effort to address this constraint, the project team identified five key beneficiary communities where cassava nurseries could be established. Additionally, the project partnered with a private nursery to increase farmers’ access to improved planting materials.
The nursery development started in March 2022 with two varieties being introduced by the Central Agriculture Research Institute (CARI). Variety CARICAS-01/0040 was nursed in Sinoe, Grand Kru, and Maryland counties, while variety CARICA-95/0289 was nursed in Grand Gedeh, River Gee and Sinoe.
Farmer George T. Geelpay who planted a sample of variety CARICA-95/0289 in his backyard in Grand Gedeh County during the establishment of the nursery was astonished to harvest 100 kg of cassava tuber from a six-meter square area. According to Mr. Geelpay, they sold the proceed from the $3,200.00 Liberian dollars an equivalent of 20 USD. Mr. Geelpay said he was so impressed with the new variety and will encourage other farmers to plant the new variety.
