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 Africain 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 highquality 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.

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.

The study reports end user preferences for pounded yam in two pounded yam consuming regions (south‐west and south‐east) in Nigeria and its implications for trait evaluation by breeding programme. Key user‐preferred quality traits for pounded yam were colour and textural quality followed by taste and aroma. There were regional differences in ranking of these quality attributes.

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Demand-led breeding strategies are gaining importance in public sector breeding globally. While borrowing approaches from the private sector, public sector programs remain mainly focused on food security and social impact related outcomes. This necessitates information on specific user groups and their preferences to build targeted customer and product profiles for informed breeding decisions. A variety of studies have identified gendered trait preferences, but do not systematically analyze differences related to or interactions of gender with other social dimensions, household characteristics, and geographic factors. This study integrates 1000minds survey trait trade-off analysis with the Rural Household Multi-Indicator Survey to study cassava trait preferences in Nigeria related to a major food product, gari. Results build on earlier research demonstrating that women prioritize food product quality traits while men prioritize agronomic traits. We show that food product quality traits are more important for members from food insecure households and gender differences between men and women increase among the food insecure. Furthermore, respondents from poorer households prioritize traits similar to respondents in non-poor households but there are notable trait differences between men and women in poor households. Women in female headed household prioritized quality traits more than women living with a spouse. Important regional differences in trait preferences were also observed. In the South East region, where household use of cassava is important, and connection to larger markets is less developed, quality traits and in ground storability were prioritized more than in other states. These results reinforce the importance of recognizing social difference and the heterogeneity among men and women, and how individual and household characteristics interact to reveal trait preference variability. This information can inform trait prioritization and guide development of breeding products that have higher social impact, which may ultimately serve the more vulnerable and align with development goals.

Fufu is a popular traditional fermented wet paste food product from cassava. We examined consumer preferences and quality attributes of fufu in Abia and Imo States of SouthEast Nigeria, with special attention to gender differences, for the purpose of providing guidance to breeders. Data were analysed by the use of descriptive and inferential statistics. Participants for the interview were randomly selected from a list of farmers in the study area. Individual (II) interviews were conducted among 80 participants comprising 26 males (32.5%) and 54 females (67.5%). Preferences along the food chain from raw roots to final product were also obtained. Major traits influencing gender-specific consumer preferences are related to appearance, texture and smell. Smoothness, not sticky, easy to swallow and drawability of fufu appear to be major traits that drive acceptance by both men and women. Big roots and smooth skin are prioritized for raw material. Some quality characteristics are conditioned largely by variety traits, while others can be modified by adjusting the processing methods. The complexity of producing high quality fufu makes it imperative to introduce a multidisciplinary approach into breeding programmes.

Declining yields of local taro cultivars, worsened in recent years by outbreak of taro leaf blight (TLB), necessitate the development of varieties that combine TLB resistance with high yield and quality. The objective of the experiment was to obtain viable true taro seeds (TTS), the lack of which has hindered local breeding effort to improve taro. Fifteen exotic cultivars of taro, obtained from International Network on Edible Aroids (INEA) as part of an EU-funded project on "Adapting Clonally Propagated Crops to Climatic and Commercial Change," and four local cultivars constituted the crossing block at Umudike (5 • 24 to 5 • 30 N; 7 • 31 to 7 • 37 E) in south eastern Nigeria in 2013. One hundred and nine crosses were made, of which 18.3% were successful, but only infructescence from nine crosses developed to maturity and produced seeds. Germination of these TTS started on the 7th day after sowing. Seedlings that developed from these seeds were transplanted into small bags filled with sterilized peat mixed with vermiculite. Each plant is expected to be genetically different from all others and could be a potentially improved cultivar. This is the first report of successful hybridization, production of TTS, and development of seedlings from true seed of taro in Nigeria.

This study employed the Cobb-Douglas stochastic frontier production function to measure the level of technical efficiency among smallholder cassava farmers in Central Madagascar. A multi-stage random sampling technique was used to select 180 cassava farmers in the region and from this sample, input-output data were obtained using the cost route approach. The parameters of the stochastic frontier production function were estimated using the maximum likelihood method. The results of the analysis showed that individual farm-level technical efficiency was about 79%. The study found education, gender and age to be indirectly and significantly related to technical efficiency at a 1% level of probability, and to household size at a 5% level. The coefficient for occupational status was positive and highly significant at a 1% level. The results show that the study's cassava farmers are not fully technically efficient, showing a mean score of .79%, and suggesting that opportunities still exist for increasing efficiency among the farmers. There is a need, therefore, to ensure that these farmers have access to the appropriate inputs, especially land