{"id":14164,"date":"2026-06-20T12:33:30","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:33:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.iita.org\/news-item\/iita-researchers-to-develop-innovations-for-cassava-production-using-end-user-information\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T21:31:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T21:31:22","slug":"iita-researchers-to-develop-innovations-for-cassava-production-using-end-user-information","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/iita-researchers-to-develop-innovations-for-cassava-production-using-end-user-information\/","title":{"rendered":"IITA researchers to develop innovations for cassava production using end-user information"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Esther Oluwatosin Obafunsho, a young female researcher, recently led <a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/\">IITA<\/a>\u2019s gender and research team from the Cassava Breeding Unit to conduct fieldwork for a technographic study of cassava users\u2019 activities through case studies in Osun and Imo states in Nigeria. Technography is the observation, description, and study of technologies and their application within a particular ecological, social, and historical context. The gender-focused study was carried out to complement IITA\u2019s effort in developing modern and improved cassava clones that respond to end-users\u2019 preferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><figure id=\"attachment_24382\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24382\" style=\"width: 820px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24382\" src=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Obafunsho-squatting-in-an-open-market-at-Igbaiye-community-in-Osun-State-with-women-cassava-processors-and-buyers.jpg\" alt=\"Obafunsho (squatting) in an open market at Igbaiye community in Osun State, with women cassava processors and buyers.\" width=\"820\" height=\"411\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24382\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Obafunsho (squatting) in an open market at Igbaiye community in Osun State, with women cassava processors and buyers.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On 24 March, Obafunsho highlighted the research in a presentation entitled, \u201cContexts and practices: A gendered technography of farmer-processor cassava activities in Nigeria\u201d. She said the research aimed to identify aspirations, constraints, and opportunities within cassava farming-processing-marketing activities in Osun and Imo. They did this by mapping \u201ccontext-mechanism-outcome (CMO) configurations\u201d and how they differ for men and women cassava users and determine opportunities and challenges for men and women among the various value chain actors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><figure id=\"attachment_24383\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24383\" style=\"width: 820px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24383\" src=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Obafunsho-middle-and-some-team-members.jpg\" alt=\"Obafunsho (middle) and some team members\u2014Olamide Olaosebikan (writing) and Bello Abolore (Male), with women peeling cassava in a gari processing center in Idi-Iroko Community in Osun State.\" width=\"820\" height=\"411\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24383\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Obafunsho (middle) and some team members\u2014Olamide Olaosebikan (writing) and Bello Abolore (Male), with women peeling cassava in a gari processing center in Idi-Iroko Community in Osun State.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The team also mapped out the ways actors are organized, how cooperation and organization differ by gender and value chain actor, and why they differ. They unveiled hidden mechanisms such as cultural beliefs, community organization, prestige, and historical knowledge, embedded within the communities. These mechanisms were identified as factors that shape aspirations, opportunities, and challenges for men and women in their daily cassava-related activities. Fieldwork, e.g., indicated that women would prefer small processing machines that can be individually owned rather than initiatives focused on larger machines, group work, and processing centers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><figure id=\"attachment_24384\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24384\" style=\"width: 343px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-24384\" src=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/The-entire-research-team-with-a-woman-processor-and-her-husband.jpg\" alt=\"The entire research team with a woman processor and her husband, at Umuakpu community in Imo State.\" width=\"343\" height=\"391\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24384\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The entire research team with a woman processor and her husband, at Umuakpu community in Imo State.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview with Favour Eleta, IITA Gender Communication Liaison, Obafunsho shared her experience working with the gender team. She has learned how to navigate an international work environment, as her previous experience was with national research organizations. She also mentioned the importance of validating people\u2019s knowledge in the communities where the research is being carried out through intercultural dialogue. Explaining why she worked with the gender team, Obafunsho said, \u201cMy passion is to ensure equity, inclusiveness, and diversity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Obafunsho is an MSc student from Wageningen University who has been working as an intern with the IITA Cassava Breeding Unit on qualitative social science research. Obafunsho is supervised by Drs Harro Maat and Birgit Boogaard (Technology, Knowledge and Innovation Group at Wageningen University, the Netherlands) and <a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/iita-staff\/teeken-bela\/\">B\u00e9la Teeken<\/a>, Associate Social and Gender Scientist in IITA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Contributed by Favour Eleta<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Esther Oluwatosin Obafunsho, a young female researcher, recently led IITA\u2019s gender and research team from the Cassava Breeding Unit to conduct fieldwork for a technographic study of cassava users\u2019 activities<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":14165,"template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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