Improving marketing strategies in Western and Central Africa

Many rural development efforts in Western and Central Africa have focused on how to improve poor farmers’ yields. But better yields have not always translated into greater incomes. As the use of cassava has grown, the role of efficient markets and a better coordinated cassava chain have become increasingly important to producers and processors who depend on a stable cassava sector for income.

IFAD has made consistent efforts to:
• increase the focus of its cassava initiatives to determine the best ways to link supply and demand
• strengthen the integration of participants operating within the cassava chains
• increase the added value of processed cassava roots
• open up new market outlets for cassava derivates