Cassava is \u2018Hidden Gold,\u2019 Kenyan Says | Young African Leaders Initiative Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Creative entrepreneurs like YALI Network member Nickson Muturi from Kenya know how to get the most from the resources they have.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"googlebot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"bingbot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cassava is \u2018Hidden Gold,\u2019 Kenyan Says | Young African Leaders Initiative Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Creative entrepreneurs like YALI Network member Nickson Muturi from Kenya know how to get the most from the resources they have.\" \/>\n<meta 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{"id":2018,"date":"2015-01-07T20:48:32","date_gmt":"2015-01-07T20:48:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yali2.digital2.getusinfo.com\/?p=2018"},"modified":"2018-07-24T00:21:12","modified_gmt":"2018-07-24T00:21:12","slug":"cassava-is-hidden-gold-kenyan-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yali.state.gov\/cassava-is-hidden-gold-kenyan-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Cassava is ‘Hidden Gold,’ Kenyan Says"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n
\u201cIt is the highest time for young Africans to take the leadership in many sectors of the economy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u2014 Nickson Muturi<\/p>\n
Creative entrepreneurs like YALI Network member Nickson Muturi know how to get the most from the resources they have.<\/p>\n
Muturi, a 24-year-old cassava farmer and recent graduate of Kenya\u2019s Egerton University, founded Bites Cassava Millers Ltd. in Nyeri, Kenya. In 2013 he began to explore ways to extract extra value from cassava, a staple that many considered \u201cpoor man\u2019s<\/p>\n
$\"Nickson$ <\/a>
Nickson Muturi harvests cassava on his farm in Kenya.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
food.\u201d In the process, he developed ways to turn cassava into flour and inexpensive animal feed. His work earned him a 2014 Agribiz4Africa award.<\/p>\n
Cassava is a tuberous plant, rich in carbohydrates. Muturi considers the tuber \u201chidden gold\u201d and wants to tell \u201cas many people as possible, especially those in harsh climatic conditions, how they can use cassava to transform their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
He used some of his award money to purchase cassava stems, which he gave to skeptical farmers to plant. He reaches out to other farmers through local media and mobile phones.<\/p>\n
To produce flour from the tuber, Muturi cuts cassava into small pieces and soaks the pieces in water to clean them of any chemicals. He then adds a sodium preservative, puts the pieces into polythene bags and places the bags in the sun so the pieces will dry. The drying method is \u201cenvironment-friendly and makes the drying process faster,\u201d he says. He then mills the dry pieces into flour and sieves it to remove large particles.<\/p>\n
Muturi uses the plant\u2019s leaves and stems for animal feed. \u201cI ensure that nothing goes to waste,\u201d he says, adding that his methods can be applied to other foods like rice, yams, maize, millet and sorghum.<\/p>\n
Poultry farmers are buying the animal feed, and bakeries and other food service providers are buying the cassava flour Muturi produces.<\/p>\n
$\"Nickson$ <\/a>
Muturi cuts cassava stems for animal feed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Like any entrepreneur, Muturi has encountered challenges. \u201cMany people thought that as a university student, I was not supposed to be working in the agricultural sector,\u201d he says. \u201cI have proved that nothing is impossible and that farming is cool and sexy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Muturi says the YALI Network has exposed him to other young Africans\u2019 ideas: \u201cI get a lot of inspiration from their stories.\u201d<\/p>\n
He says his professional goal is to develop work skills that reflect determination, adaptability and integrity. On a personal level, he aims to expect less and give more to society. He used another portion of his award to pay the school fees of two women working toward certificates in coffee growing.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cI think it is the highest time for young Africans to take the leadership in many sectors of the economy. They have the energy and capability to drive these sectors to great success,\u201d Muturi says.<\/p>\n
Agribiz4Africa aims to generate ideas that can transform agricultural productivity and rural economies and create jobs. The competition is sponsored by the agricultural company Syngenta.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Creative entrepreneurs like YALI Network member Nickson Muturi from Kenya know how to get the most from the resources they have.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":2021,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[25,84,14],"tags":[95,100],"content_type":[],"series":[222],"yst_prominent_words":[],"yoast_head":"\nCassava is \u2018Hidden Gold,\u2019 Kenyan Says | Young African Leaders Initiative Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Creative entrepreneurs like YALI Network member Nickson Muturi from Kenya know how to get the most from the resources they have.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"googlebot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"bingbot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta 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