By Georgina Smith for CIAT News

Demand for cassava in Asia is on the rise. As wet or dry starch, it’s in everything from noodles to pharmaceutical products, and has a growing niche in gluten-free and low fat foods. In Cambodia, this is a massive opportunity for smallholder farmers, who depend on income from the crop to support their livelihoods. But cassava intensification could have dramatic environmental costs if it’s not managed properly. And farmers face mounting challenges in cultivating cassava profitably: from a swathe of emerging pests and diseases devastating harvests to declining soil fertility, climate shocks and volatile market prices. Read more here