Despite cassava’s climate-resilience as well its incredible health and taste benefits, the tuber spoils only 3 days after harvest, with over 50% of the global annual harvest lost on average. Consequently, a majority of the 20 million cassava farmers in the world today, 75% of whom are women, live on under a dollar a day per capita income.
Solution
At CassVita, we have invented a breakthrough biotechnology for increasing the shelf-life of cassava from 3 days to 18 months. With our technology, farmers lose 0% of their harvest and are able to increase their incomes. We have also innovated on a proprietary methodology for processing cassava into one-for-one wheat replacement flour, which in turn, creates a market for cassava farmers.
These innovations enable us to build resilience across food value chains by offering a climate-resilient alternative from cassava at scale, which is critical in combating food insecurity.
Our CEO shares thoughts on innovation and impact at TEDxMIT.