Promoting Cassava as an Industrial Crop in Ghana: Effects on Soil Fertility and Farming SystemSustainability
Date
2012-01-02
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation, Applied and Environmental Soil Science
Abstract
Cassava is an important starchy staple crop in Ghana with per capita consumption of 152.9 kg/year. Besides being a staple food
crop, cassava can be used as raw material for the production of industrial starch and ethanol. The potential of cassava as an
industrial commercial crop has not been exploited to a large extent because of perceptions that cassava depletes soils. Recent finding
from field studies in the forest/savannah transitional agroecological zone of Ghana indicates that when integrated in the cropping
system as a form of rotation, cassava contributes significantly to maintenance of soil fertility, and thus large scale production of
cassava for industrial use can contribute to poverty reduction in an environmentally responsive way. This paper discusses the role
of cassava cultivation in soil fertility management and its implication for farming system sustainability and industrialization.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Cassava, Industrial Crop, Soil Fertility, Farming SystemSustainability, Ghana