Potential impact of biotechnology on cassava production in the Third World

Economic growth and structural change in developing economies leads to a changing role for the principal starchy staples, such as cassava, in development of the agricultural sector. Particularly, the role of the starchy staple shifts from meeting subsistence and food security objectives under situations such as in Africa where economies are still very much agrarian to meeting market and income objectives in circumstances such as Latin America where the economy has industrialized and the population is predominantly urban. The role of cassava at these various states of economic development is analyzed, especially the implications for cassava market diversification under economic growth. A case is made for very different needs for cassava development between Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The implications for technological change in the cassava crop is then evaluated at various stages of development, and particular stress in put on various elements of market development, technological change and income distribution are evaluated in terms of the broad implications for investment in biotechnology research on the cassava crop.