Product development
A decision support tool on best planting practices for cassava systems in SW Nigeria and Eastern zone of Coastal Tanzania
Overall Goals
Demand-driven, rapid and cost-effective development of a tool for staggered planting; demand creation with service providers; mainstream approaches for adoption by national research organizationsPrimary client
Development organizations / service providers working with farmers that produce for the processing industry: CAVA-II and Psaltry International Ltd. in Nigeria, and CAVA-II in Tanzania
Tool format
Staggered Planting Expert Application for crop advisors (software application, paper-based manuals and extension guides)
Outcome goals
A decision support tool for selected AoIs in Nigeria and Tanzania; analytical tools, approaches and protocols for tool development; ROI of the overall R&D approach; prioritized service providers use the decision support tool
Product development protocol
(to be validated and refined in a collaborative effort involving IITA, FUNAAB, NRCRI, ARI, CIAT, ETH and KUL)
delineate target areas and collate fresh root prices and transport costs
assemble a draft version (V0) of the tool based on secondary information
conduct researcher-managed trials and a first series of multilocational on-farm validation trials to assess options for staggered planting and delaying harvest
use findings to parametrize and cross-validate DSSAT model, conduct additional series of field trials to refine tool (V1-V2)
design and format tool to facilitate use by development organizations (VF)
