Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) production constraints, farmers’ preference criteria and diversity management in togo

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is among the main food crops of Togo. In the country’s traditional agriculture, a great diversity a varieties exist and need to be preserved. Moreover, the production constraints that can be solved through breeding of novel varieties and the farmers’ varietal preference criteria are not yet well documented. To fill these gaps of knowledge a survey was conducted in 40 villages distributed throughout the country using participatory approach (individual survey and group discussion with questionnaire). The first 5 most important constraints at national level were: the attacks of insects, low marketable value of cassava roots, leaves and stem diseases (mainly viruses and bacterial diseases), and root rots.