The Natural Resources Institute (NRI), based at the University of Greenwich, United Kingdom, in partnership with the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Nigeria, was declared the winner of the Cassava Innovation Challenge launched last year by Rockefeller, IITA, and Dalberg.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":16752,"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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Okechukwu and Dalberg and Ford Foundation representatives giving award plaque to winner of the challenge from NRI<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\nThe team received a grant of up to US$500,000, along with technical assistance, to test and market the winning technology\u2015the NRI Cassava bag that can keep cassava fresh for at least eight days postharvest.\n\nThe announcement was made by Rafael Flor from the\u00a0Rockefeller Foundation<\/a>\u00a0flanked by\u00a0Richardson Okechukwu<\/a>\u00a0from IITA and Marcus Watson from Dalberg at a cocktail at the All Africa Postharvest Congress & Exhibition in Nairobi, Kenya.\n\n\u201cWe received more than 600 applications from 32 countries with ideas on how to solve this problem of short shelf-life \u00a0for cassava. We had a panel of 21 judges from around the world, including Nigerian cassava experts, who recommended a shortlist based on the Rockefeller Foundation\u2019s criteria for innovation,\u201d said Flor while announcing the winner.\n\nIITA\u2019s Okechukwu noted that reducing cassava spoilage held real potential to increase the incomes of smallholder farmers and increase the efficiency of the entire cassava industry in Nigeria and other major cassava-producing countries in Africa.\n\n\u201cAs part of the judging team we selected the winning innovation due to its potential to significantly reduce spoilage in the cassava value chain. It can successfully and affordably be adopted and scaled out, both within Nigeria and other developing countries, and has potential to be commercialized for sustainability, once the Challenge funds have been depleted,\u201d said Okechukwu.\n\nThe\u00a0Cassava Innovation Challenge<\/a>\u00a0sought to identify and support novel solutions for increasing cassava shelf life in Nigeria and the world. Cassava has a very short shelf life, and if unprocessed it will perish within 24-72 hours after harvesting or less if it is damaged during harvesting or transport.\n\nApproximately 40% of cassava is lost due to spoilage, limiting farmer incomes and rural economic development.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"