Today’s Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants will be presented in Ewe, with subtitles in Arabic, Aulacese (Vietnamese), Chinese, English, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Mongolian, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Thai.

Hallo, beloved viewers, and welcome to our program about the cassava, a plant that is consumed daily by over 700 million people in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. So vital is this plant that in Ewe, which is spoken in the African nations of Togo, Ghana and Benin, the name for cassava is agbeli, meaning “there is life.”

In appreciation of the diligent and loving work of cassava farmers today we visit Togo to learn more about how this invaluable crop is planted, grown, harvested, and cooked. Cassava is a woody shrub, widely grown by farmers in tropical regions for its long, tapered, and highly nutritious tuberous root. Because it can survive in almost any type of soil, and requires very little rain, cassava has become one of Africa’s most important staple food crops. About half of the world’s supply of cassava is currently grown in Africa.

Let’s start by seeing how cassava is planted. Unlike most other crops, cassava is not propagated from seeds. Instead, new plants are grown using pieces of an existing plant’s stem. A small hole is dug in the soil and then the piece is inserted either in an upright or slanted position. Planting is usually done by hand.

During the rainy season we prepare the field. We dig a hole like this and plant it. Then if it rains, it grows by itself. This is how we plant it.

How much time does it take before it can be harvested?

About seven months. If you come here you will find fully grown cassava.

The cassava will begin to develop fresh new roots in the soil within a few days of being planted. Then bright green leaves begin to burst forth on the upper stalk, growing quickly and vigorously in the warm sunshine.

If you have a cassava field, you must cultivate it. The first thing to do is to take good care of it. But we always pray to God so that it rains. So our cassava can grow properly. Rain is the most important thing.

The traditional way of raising cassava is using sustainable, organic farming techniques which have been carefully passed down from generation to generation.

Here we never use fertilizer. No, we do not use fertilizer. It is what you have seen from your forefathers that you can also do. When we were children, we were taught by our father how to take care of the field. It was that way we began. Now that we have children, we have to teach them our tradition. This is the reason why they follow us to the farm, for them to learn how to take good care of a field. It is for them to learn.

During holidays, we help our parents to take care of their fields.

The cassava crop is very reliable. Even when there is very little rain, the crop can thrive. Because of this, it plays a key role in ensuring the economic well-being of many farmers.

Here we cultivate maize, pepper, and cassava. We use the cassava income to pay the school expenses of our children.

In Togo, cassava is normally harvested by removing the tuber from the soil by hand. The fresh tubers can be peeled and eaten like potatoes. They can be baked, boiled, made into French fries, or mixed with other vegetables and made into delicious stews. They can also be turned into a sweet dessert called tapioca.

But the most common way to enjoy this delicious tuber is to make it into flour. In Togo, the preparation of this flour is a lengthy, intensive process lasting at least two days. Much of the work is done by hand. First, the cassava tubers must be peeled with a sharp knife.

When we dig up the cassava, we peel it, like this. After peeling it, we crush it. Then we press it. After pressing it, we sift it the following day.

The cassava root, once peeled, is placed in large baskets. It is then ready to be crushed. This is usually done with the help of a small machine. The tubers are fed into the hopper, and a finely crushed product is created. People who specialize in this segment of cassava processing offer their services to farmers.

Good morning sir.

Yes, good morning

Are you the one who crushes the cassava for them?

Yes, I’m the one.

Do you work every day?

Yes, if they call me then I come and do the job.

The crushed root is then placed into large sacks which are laid on a bed of sticks. Usually a weight is placed on top to squeeze out excess water. The next day, the dried product is ready to be sifted.

This is the crushed cassava. We press it. Now we are sifting it, like this, before cooking the gari (cassava flour).

Why are you sifting the crushed cassava?

There are some twigs in the crushed cassava. If we don’t sift it before cooking, the gari will not be good.

What are you sifting it with?

With a sieve.

What is it made with?

Out of a palm leaf.

The cassava root, having been carefully crushed, dried, and sifted, is now ready to be made into a wide variety of delicious foods, one of which is flour. Wood is gathered, carefully laid down, and a hot fire is started. Then a huge cast iron pan is placed on top. The crushed cassava root is placed bowlful by bowlful into the hot pan. It is cooked into a dried powder known as cassava flour or gari.

How many minutes are needed for it to cook?

Then we remove it from the fire.

How can someone use gari?

There is no wrong use of gari. When you wake up in the morning you can add gari to cooked beans and eat it. If you like, you can pour it in water, add sugar and groundnuts, and eat it.

You can also use gari to make paste?

Yes. You can make paste and eat it with soup or you can add gari to soup and eat it.

One can make many things with cassava. What can be made with cassava apart from gari?

You can use cassava to cook many things. First you can cook tapioca. You can dry cassava to make starch powder out of it. You can make several things out of cassava. You can cook doughnuts or cook foufou (sticky dough) or cook it and eat it like that.

One of the most delightful foods which can be made from cassava is doughnuts. When doughnuts are prepared starting with tubers, it is a relatively short process, taking at least half a day to complete. There are many steps involved, and many hands are needed.

To cook cassava doughnuts, I buy the cassava in the field. After I buy it, I pay people to dig up the cassava, then we bring it home. We peel them. After peeling it, we wash it very well with water. Then we crush it. Then we put it in a basket so that water runs out. Then we put it in a flour bag and press it with big stones to remove water from it. We even use a stick. After all this, we put it in a bowl and add salt. Then we heat oil in the fire and make it boil and put them in the oil. That’s what we do here. That’s the job I live on here.

Do people like this doughnut?

Oh, they like it so much!!

Mmmmm… these doughnuts look so delicious!! Especially when served with chunks of fresh coconut!

Do you like cassava doughnuts?

Yes, of course I like it.

Is it sweet?

So sweet!

That’s why you buy it?

Yes that’s why I buy it.

Do you eat it every day?

I buy it and eat it. It is so sweet.

Cassava is known to have medicinal properties as well. Leaves from the bitter plant can be used to treat hypertension, headaches and other bodily pains. Cassava flour is also gluten- free, and thus for those with celiac disease who cannot eat wheat, the flour can be used to make bread. During these critical times of climate change, where world temperatures are rising, and droughts are becoming ever more widespread, cassava is becoming more and more essential to our survival, as it can produce large quantities of nutritious food with only a minimal amount of water. Supreme Master Ching Hai has spoken about the tremendous value of this plant.

You know in Miaoli, we don’t have that much water I had to dig many wells. When we first came, there was no water. So, all they planted there was some grass, those for dry land grasses that grow anywhere, and cassava, which doesn’t need water. The land there is not even sandy. It’s like those very thick and sticky clay, and even then, the cassava lives. So, anyway, the cassava is very easy to plant anywhere. It’s a wonderful plant, and you can eat it - you can eat it and survive.

We are grateful for the bounty of nature and for the amazing plants such as the cassava which generously provide food, income, and health for hundreds of millions of people. We pray that we will continue to enjoy rich harvests as we live in harmony with Mother Earth and all her inhabitants.

Thank you for joining us today on our program. Enlightening Entertainment is up next, after Noteworthy News. May all beings on our planet be blessed with joy in a compassionate, noble, and peaceful vegan world.