Cassava Commercialization and Reactions in Producing Areas: A Case Study in Rural Eastern Cameroon

Abstract

Cassava is an important staple food crop in sub-Saharan Africa and currently, it has also become an important commodity crop as a source of cash income for rural households. The challenge is how to balance the production of this crop as both a food and a commodity. This study examines people's orientation and background toward cassava commercialization and subsistence crop production, focusing on their choices and responses to cassava production, processing, and marketing in rural eastern Cameroon. A field study was conducted in the community of Andom for 24 months from 2013 to 2022. Data were collected from participatory observations and semi-structured interviews. The results describe how people's orientation toward cassava commercialization is characterized by the dual nature of cassava as a ‘staple food crop’ and a ‘commodity crop’, based on their food culture and local processing technic. It also points out that while its orientation does not necessarily contribute to cassava commercialization quantitatively, it is a key component of urban food security. This study articulates the dynamics of cassava commercialization in recent years in Cameroon and the commercialization of cassava in the production areas does not necessarily mean a shift from subsistence crop production to simply commodity crop production.