Nigeria, as the world’s largest producer of cassava, stands to gain significantly by adopting some of the successful practices employed by smallholder farmers in Vietnam, a major global exporter of cassava products. While both countries share similarities in their reliance on cassava as a staple and income source for smallholders, Vietnam’s higher yields and strong commercialization offer valuable insights.
Here are key lessons Nigerian smallholder cassava farmers can learn from Vietnam:
1. Embracing Improved Varieties and Technology:
High-Yielding, Disease-Resistant Cultivars: Vietnam has made significant strides in developing and widely disseminating improved cassava varieties like KM94 and KM419, which offer higher yields and better disease resistance, particularly against threats like Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD). Nigerian farmers often face low yields due to reliance on local, unimproved varieties and vulnerability to diseases. Investing in research and development, and then effectively distributing these improved planting materials, is crucial.
Efficient Irrigation Systems: In regions like Tây Ninh, Vietnam, the adoption of efficient irrigation systems (e.g., drip irrigation, automated misting) has led to a remarkable 30-50% increase in cassava yields, even during prolonged dry seasons. This proactive irrigation, unlike reliance solely on rainfall, ensures consistent water supply during critical growth stages. Nigerian smallholders can explore affordable and scalable irrigation technologies to mitigate the impact of unpredictable rainfall.
Modern Cultivation Techniques: Vietnamese farmers have embraced advanced technologies and best practices through programs like “10 Techniques (10T)” and Farmer Participatory Research (FPR). This includes optimized planting times, spacing, and weed management, leading to improved productivity and profitability.
2. Optimized Nutrient Management and Soil Health:
Balanced Fertilizer Application: Vietnamese farmers, especially in the Southeast, are increasingly adopting balanced fertilizer application, recognizing that cassava responds well to appropriate nutrient inputs (particularly N and K). This is a stark contrast to some Nigerian practices where fertilizer use might be limited or imbalanced, leading to nutrient depletion. Soil testing and tailored fertilizer recommendations can significantly boost yields.
Integrated Nutrient Management: Vietnam emphasizes combining organic and inorganic fertilizers. Practices like returning plant tops and fallen leaves to the soil, green manuring, alley cropping, and intercropping with legumes help reduce nutrient depletion and improve soil health. Nigerian farmers can adopt these sustainable practices to enhance soil fertility and reduce reliance on external inputs.
Erosion Control: Given that cassava is often grown on sloping lands, Vietnam implements erosion control measures such as minimum tillage, contour ridging, closer plant spacing, mulching, and planting contour hedgerows with leguminous species. These practices not only prevent soil loss but also contribute to maintaining or improving soil fertility.
3. Strong Value Chain Linkages and Market Orientation:
Industrial Processing and Export Focus: Vietnam’s success is significantly bolstered by its robust cassava starch processing industry, with numerous industrial-scale factories. This strong demand for fresh roots and dried chips from processors creates a reliable market for smallholders, encouraging increased production. Nigeria needs to strengthen its cassava processing infrastructure and expand into diversified cassava-based products to create stable markets for farmers.
Farmer-Processor Collaboration: The “Vietnam Cassava Society” and close cooperation with starch processing factories have facilitated the transfer of new technologies and ensured market access for farmers. Establishing similar strong linkages between Nigerian smallholder farmers and industrial processors can create a more predictable and profitable market.
Diversification of Income Sources: While cassava is a primary income source, Vietnamese smallholder farmers often diversify their income through other crops, livestock, and non-farm activities. This reduces their vulnerability to price fluctuations in the cassava market and provides more stable household income.
4. Government and Institutional Support:
Supportive Government Policies: Government initiatives and policies in Vietnam have played a pivotal role in supporting cassava cultivation. This includes promoting integrated cultivation techniques and focusing on environmentally friendly practices.
Research and Extension Networks: Vietnam has an established Cassava Research and Extension Network that effectively disseminates research findings and new technologies to farmers. Strengthening extension services and establishing similar farmer-centric research and development programs in Nigeria are critical.
Technical Training and Financial Access: Studies in Vietnam highlight that technical training and access to financial services (like bank credit) significantly contribute to productivity growth and technology upgrading among cassava farmers. Addressing these challenges in Nigeria, such as limited access to credit and extension services, is paramount.
By learning from Vietnam’s experience, Nigerian smallholder cassava farmers can adopt a more integrated, market-oriented, and technologically advanced approach to farming, leading to higher yields, improved livelihoods, and a more sustainable cassava sector.
