LESS FOOD AID,MORE DEMAND,MORE DISEASED CROPS.WHATS THE WAY FORWARD FOR THE HUNGRY?

The alien is ravaging our livelihoods with vigour; critical levels of the epidemic are damaging our Cassava crop with immeasurable speed. The viral streak a native of low lands has either by mutation or something else adapted to the highlands of East Africa, the highs of about 1000 meters. Pointers blame propagation and a known vector fly kind (bemicia tabaci), originally from Tanzania, the Virus has spread like a bush fire to areas around East and Central Africa.

This lurks in the shadows of viral kind and Cassava mosaic that decimated the plantain and Cassava crops around Uganda’s central region in the 90s; as a result there has been a major shift in the crop to the west of the country. Previous research had been directed towards the Mosaic but with the arrival of this virus, tables are turning calling for an overlapping endevour to save the situation. Cultural reasons have centered the dwellers of the Ugandan central region on Plantains (Matooke) for centuries

It’s the arrival of the Cassava Mosaic that has dealt a terrible blow to these people depending on the crop, and now that an arsenal of enemies has been unleashed, it spells danger to their foods security continuity. Cassava has had added advantages of drought resistance, easier preservation and flourishing in a wider agricultural zone.

Most viral shifts simply localized, but the onsets of their wider dispersal lies in the rising changes in temperature whose shift plays catalyst to favour conditions for more spreading. This viral kind is known to affect whole farms indiscriminately.

Scientists are doing their rounds to de-shelve biotech varieties whose planned arrival had faltered over food worries on GMOs, for the first time introduction of these presumably dangerous variants is real and nothing will hold them back.Biotcechs are ridden with multiple controversy once introduced, but saving populations for now could the immediate remedy.

The FAO of the United Nations estimates 90 countries dependent on Cassava with half the number on the African mainland. Approximately 70 million directly depend on Cassava for food and livelihoods in developing nations. Uganda utilizes half a million hectares for 5.5 million tonnes of cassava tubers.

We have on another note been invaded by a threat/opportunity as biofuels,2 producers start eyeing Cassava as a raw material. The aura of subsequent discussions as to the ramifications of this is vast. Reality spells that in the new economy markets are global, resources can be controlled by multinational, Cassava stocks small, Populations feeding on Cassava increasing. Who can therefore argue against the possibility of any large firm paying a premium for the dwindling Cassava stocks?

Its only deplorable that the situations that were being forecast, have caught up with us and in these trying times, we need stake holders from Environmentalists, industrial concerns and general public to hammer out a common susta