A group of women and youth in Benue State are using the knowledge gained on vitamin A High-Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF) value-addition training to generate income and build businesses.
Under the Zero Hunger project funded by the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), the group learned how to produce HQCF from vitamin A cassava, using it to produce pastries like bread, puff-puff, peanut burger, and chinchin. They were also taught how to produce custard from vitamin A cassava and as input in the production of moi-moi, with a low quantity of beans, in 2022.
In May 2023, when the Zero Hunger team visited Wajina International School, Makurdi, one of the teachers who had previously been taught the various uses of Vitamin A cassava under the project had trained other teachers and students. She now produces HQCF in commercial quantities to augment her income, while the other teachers and students make various snacks for home consumption and commercial purposes.
Interestingly, custard made from HQCF has become a breakfast staple in their homes.
The team also visited the Nigeria government-sponsored Home Grown School Feeding Program (HGSFP) to meet with school food vendors from Makurdi and Gwer East local government areas trained by the Zero Hunger team on incorporating processed vitamin A cassava into the school feeding program.
The food vendors attested to how the training has helped increase the nutritional value of what the school children eat daily and increased their profitability. In addition, the HGSFP State Nutrition Officer said the training had given the program access to cheap and pocket-friendly nutrient-dense food to continue to feed the school children and further strengthen enrolment, thereby reducing the number of out-of-school children in the state.
The state coordinator said they plan to train all the vendors in the state and will start including vitamin A cassava in moi-moi production as well as using it for custard as part of the meals to be cooked for school children every week.
In addition to generating income, the trainees’ businesses are also helping to improve nutrition in Nigeria. Vitamin A HQCF is a good source of vitamin A, which is essential for good health. By making vitamin A cassava flour more accessible, the trainees are helping to reduce the risk of vitamin A deficiency in Nigeria.
Contributed by The ZeroHunger Team
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