A case of transdisciplinarity and collaborative decision making: the co-construction of Gendered Food Product Profiles.

Crop breeding in sub-Saharan Africa has made considerable gains; however, postharvest and food-related preferences have been overlooked, in addition to how these preferences vary by gender, social difference and context. This context is changing as participatory approaches using intersectional gender and place-based methods are beginning to inform how breeding programmes make decisions. This article presents an innovative methodology to inclusively and democratically prioritise food quality traits of root, tuber and banana crops based on engagement with food systems actors and transdisciplinary collaboration. The outcome of the methodology is the Gendered Food Product Profile (GFPP) - a list of prioritised food quality characteristics - to support breeders to make more socially inclusive decisions on the methods for trait characterisation to select genotypes closer to the needs of food system actors. This article reviews application of the methodology in 14 GFPPs, presents illustrative case studies and lessons learned. Key lessons are that the transdisciplinary structure and the key role of social scientists helped avoid reductionism, supported co-learning, and the creation of GFPPs that represented the diverse interests of food system actors, particularly women, in situ. The method partially addressed power dynamics in multidisciplinary decision making; however, effectiveness was dependent on equitable team relations and supportive institutions committed to valuing plural forms of knowledge. Actions to address power asymmetries that privilege particular types of knowledge and voices in decision making are crucial in techno-science projects, along with opportunities for co-learning and long-term collaboration and a transdisciplinary structure at higher level. © 2024 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Gender-inclusive consumer studies improve cassava breeding in Nigeria.

Including gender research in cassava breeding makes it easier for farmers to adopt new varieties that meet the specific needs and preferences of both male and female farmers, leading to increased adoption of new varieties, improved productivity, and better economic outcomes for the entire farming community. Gender was included in 2013 in variety development at the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, Nigeria in response to the dis-adoption of some varieties by farmers who had not been part of varietal development from the start, and in light of social roles which influence the responsibilities, resources and livelihood outcomes of men, women and youths. Gender inclusion has given plant breeders accurate information about the cassava traits preferred by all end-users, not just male farmers. At NRCRI, gender studies intensified in the last 5 years, contributing to the development and release of improved varieties. Quantitative and qualitative research by the gender cross-cutting team modeled trait profiling and consumer preferences, to aid demand-led breeding. Some of the methods were acquired at several trainings on how to quantify qualitative responses for prioritization. Gender research techniques include participatory varietal selection (PVS), participatory plant breeding (PPB), mother-baby trials, focus group discussions (FGD), surveys, value chain mapping, G+ tools, experiments in farmer field schools (FFS), demonstration farms, and tricot. These gave the cross-cutting team a better understanding of gender relations, power, decision-making, ownership and control of resources, and have mitigated operational and field challenges during the surveys. These methods also elicited feedback from end-users that led to better naming of newly released varieties, reflecting perceptions of agronomic performance, and food qualities, which made the varieties easier to identify and remember.

Prioritizing preferred traits in the yam value chain in Nigeria: a gender situation analysis.

This study describes what did and did not work in the prioritization of preferred traits within the value chain of yam and associated food products (boiled and pounded yam) in Nigeria. Demand-led breeding protocols have enhanced participatory methods along gender lines to increase the clarity of information on the yam traits preferred by farmers and other end users. Drawing on the experience of the cross-cutting gender team at the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, and partners, this study documents the successes and constraints in the use of gender-inclusive approaches for effective breeding. Methods in our gender studies involve critical assessment of the distinction between quantitative and qualitative research, with particular attention to measurement. Various techniques for data collection, such as interviews, observation, and archival studies, are assessed to locate their potential for constructing successful research projects. The methods used include participatory varietal selection, participatory plant breeding, focused discussions with farmer groups, value chain mapping, G+ tools, trait preferences (processing and consumption), triangulation of multi-disciplinary datasets, and social survey research. Yam production in southeast Nigeria is dominated by men, while women are the main processors. Gendered power play, access to resources, and decision-making have been found to constrain women's participation in yam production (and in yam research). Sex disaggregation was applied within the value chain studies to capture the complementarity and differences in the perceptions of women and men. The methods used facilitated the development and release to farmers in 2023 of three improved yam varieties with consumer-preferred characteristics such as high yield, high dry matter content, white tubers, and good boiling and pounding capability. The success stories also show that effective communication and cooperation within the gender cross-cutting team and farmer groups are important for better results. When gender specialists, food scientists, and breeders work together, innovations are created, challenges are overcome, and information is shared.

Genetic and environmental effects on processing productivity and food product yield: drudgery of women's work.

BACKGROUND: Cassava processing is a crucial source of livelihood for rural farmers and processors in Nigeria and Cameroon. This study investigated the varietal effect on the processing productivity of women farmer processors within their working environment and compared this with the food product quality as evaluated by the processors and the field yield. Field trials were established in Nigeria (Benue and Osun state) and Cameroon (Littoral region). Eight cassava genotypes were evaluated. These eight varieties included newly bred genotypes, commercial checks and varieties provided and preferred by the processors. The roots of these genotypes were harvested and processed into gari and eba by processors. The time of each processing step was recorded. Processors assessed the quality of the roots and food products using pairwise ranking. RESULTS: In the field trials in Cameroon and Nigeria (Benue state), the newly bred genotypes showed superior performance in terms of dry matter content and fresh and dry yield. During processing, genotypes showed significant variation for most assessed parameters in both countries. Some newly bred varieties exhibited lower productivity that can make them more prone to drudgery than the local commercial checks and the varieties provided and preferred by the processors. Newly bred varieties were mostly ranked higher or equal to processors' preferred varieties concerning fresh root and food product quality. In the Cameroon location there were significant varietal differences in processing productivity and drudgery index which suggest that the particular processing methods there - such as pressing methods and fermentation time - cause these varietal differences to matter more. CONCLUSIONS: The varieties that were tested were observed to differ in yield, product quality, processing productivity, and potential drudgery levels. Some breeders' germplasms displayed a combination of increased yields and good product quality and good processor productivity. Those varieties that showed low processor productivity should be avoided during selection to avoid increased labour burden and associated drudgery of women processors. Further research is recommended to enhance food product color, latent culinary qualities, and processing productivity of newly bred varieties to improve acceptability and reduce processing drudgery for women. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Drivers of consumer acceptability of cassava gari-eba food products across cultural and environmental settings using the triadic comparison of technologies approach (tricot).

BACKGROUND: Nigeria and Cameroon are multi-ethnic countries with diverse preferences for food characteristics. The present study aimed to inform cassava breeders on consumer-prioritized eba quality traits. Consumer testing was carried out using the triadic comparison of technologies (tricot). Diverse consumers in villages, towns and cities evaluated the overall acceptability of eba made from different cassava genotypes. Data from both countries were combined and linked to laboratory analyses of eba and the gari used to make it. RESULTS: There is a strong preference for eba with higher cohesiveness and eba from gari with higher brightness and especially in Cameroon, with lower redness and yellowness. Relatively higher eba hardness and springiness values are preferred in the Nigerian locations, whereas lower values are preferred in Cameroon. Trends for solubility and swelling power of the gari differ between the two countries. The study also reveals that the older improved cassava genotype TMS30572 is a benchmark genotype with superior eba characteristics across different regions in Nigeria, whereas the recently released variety Game changer performs very well in Cameroon. In both locations, the recently released genotypes Obansanjo-2 and improved variety TM14F1278P0003 have good stability and overall acceptability for eba characteristics. CONCLUSION: The wide acceptance of a single genotype across diverse geographical and cultural conditions in Nigeria, as well as three acceptable new improved varieties in both locations, indicates that consumers' preferences are surprisingly homogeneous for eba. This would enhance breeding efforts to develop varieties with wider acceptability and expand potential target areas for released varieties. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

From cassava to gari: mapping of quality characteristics and end-user preferences in Cameroon and Nigeria.

User's preferences of cassava and cassava products along the value chain are supported by specific root quality characteristics that can be linked to root traits. Therefore, providing an evidence base of user preferred characteristics along the value chain can help in the functional choice of cassava varieties. In this respect, the present paper presents the results from focus group discussions and individual interviews on user preferred quality characteristics of raw cassava roots and the derived product, gari, - one of the major cassava products in Sub-Saharan Africa - in major production and consumption areas of Cameroon and Nigeria. Choice of cassava varieties for farming is mainly determined by the multiple end uses of the roots, their agricultural yield and the processing determinants of roots that support their major high-quality characteristics: size, density, low water content, maturity, colour and safety. Processing of cassava roots into gari goes through different technological variants leading to a gari whose high-quality characteristics are dryness, colour, shiny/attractive appearance, uniform granules and taste. Eba, the major consumption form of gari in Cameroon and Nigeria, is mainly characterised by its textural properties: smoothness, firmness, stickiness, elasticity and mouldability. Recommendations are made, suggesting that breeding will have to start evaluating cassava clones for brightness/shininess, as well as textural properties such as mouldability and elasticity of cassava food products, for the purpose of supporting decision-making by breeders and the development of high-throughput selection methods of cassava varieties. Women are identified as important beneficiaries of such initiatives giving their disadvantaged position and their prominent role in cassava processing and marketing of gari.

Understanding cassava varietal preferences through pairwise ranking of gari-eba and fufu prepared by local farmer-processors.

Within communities in Osun and Imo States of Nigeria, farmer-processors grew and processed a diverse set of improved and landrace cassava varieties into the locally popular foods, gari, eba and fufu. Local and 15 main varieties were grown in a 'mother and baby trials' design in each state. Mother trials with three replications were processed by farmer-processors renown in their community for their processing skills. Baby trials were managed and processed by other farmer-processors. The objective was to identify food quality criteria to inform demand-led breeding to benefit users, especially women, given their key roles in processing. Farmer-processors evaluated the overall quality of fresh roots and derived food products through pairwise comparisons. Improved varieties had higher fresh and dry root yield. Overall, landraces ranked first for quality of gari and eba, but several improved varieties were also appreciated for good quality. Landraces in Osun had higher gari yield and a higher swelling power compared to improved varieties. Colour (browning), bulk density, swelling power, solubility and water absorption capacity were the criteria most related to food product ranking by farmer-processors. Evaluation of varieties under farmer-processors' conditions is crucial for providing guidance to breeders on critical selection criteria.

Gender-based constraints affecting biofortified cassava production, processing and marketing among men and women adopters in Oyo and Benue States, Nigeria.

This study identified gender-based constraints affecting the production, processing and marketing of biofortified cassava in two states in Nigeria, using a mixed methods approach. The study identified major differences between the two study sites (Benue and Oyo). The scale of production of biofortified cassava is higher in Oyo state among adult men because of their active involvement and collaboration with research institutes within the state and the ease of transporting products to Lagos State for designated diverse markets. However, in Benue state more adult and young women are engaged in cultivation, processing and marketing business to meet up with the increased demand due to higher consumer acceptance in this region. Gender analysis revealed that lack of access to hired-labour restricted the scale of production among women in especially Oyo state. Low product price and high price of processing equipment, poor market infrastructure and middle men exploitation were constraints significantly more mentioned by women in general. Majorly, the men identified limited processing facilities/equipment as the most important constraint affecting the demand of biofortified cassava roots, while generally women were more constrained by the shortage of basic amenities and trainings that hindered their processing efficiency. The study proposes integration of gender-responsive strategies to further enhance the delivery of biofortified cassava products in Nigeria.

Cassava Trait Preferences of Men and Women Farmers in Nigeria: Implications for Breeding.

Nigeria is the world's largest cassava producer, hosting a diverse array of cassava farmers and processors. Cassava breeding programs prioritize "common denominator" traits in setting breeding agendas, to impact the largest possible number of people through improved varieties. This approach has been successful, but cassava adoption rates are less than expected, with room for improvement by integrating traits in demand by farmers and processors. This paper aims to inform breeding priority setting, by examining trait and varietal preferences of men and women cassava farmer/processors. Men and women in eight communities in Southwest and Southeast Nigeria were consulted using mixed methods. Women and men had significantly different patterns of cassava use in the Southwest. Fifty-five variety names were recorded from the communities demonstrating high genetic diversity maintained by growers, especially in the Southeast. High yield, early maturity, and root size were most important traits across both regions, while traits women and men preferred followed gender roles: women prioritized product quality/cooking traits, while men placed higher priority on agronomic traits. Trait preference patterns differed significantly between the Southeast and Southwest, and showed differentiation based on gender. Patterns of access to stem sources were determined more by region and religion than gender.