Integrated cassava research and development projects in Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil: An overview of CIAT's experiences

This paper discusses CIAT's 12-year experience in developing an integrated cassava research and development project (ICRDP) approach. The origin, justification, methodology, results, and lessons learned from this approach are presented, using a comparative analysis of CIAT's experiences in Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil. The ICRDPs have been effective vehicles for CIAT's Cassava Program to interact with various national research, rural extension, and development institutions. Existing production, processing, and marketing technologies have been validated and adapted to specific regional conditions with the ICRDP framework. New technologies have been generated through the synergy of research and development that ICRDPs promote. Results have demonstrated to research and development institutions, donors, governments, and policy makers that cassava is a crop that can play an important role in achieving development goals. Through the integrated approach, traditional cassava markets have diversified and overall demand for cassava has increased. This has reduced price variability while increasing yields and, as a result, created incentives for adopting improved technologies. Poor farmers' incomes and employment opportunities have also improved through the promotion of small-scale, cassava-based, rural agroindustries with low opportunity costs, especially for landless producers eng