International Safe Cassava Network

About

With the demise of the CCDN, Professor Roslyn Gleadow FAA, convened a new group to enable wider contact between those working with cassava and konzo. The aim is to foster collaboration of researchers in medical, genetic, agricultural and public health fields and build a network for the benefit of this most neglected field.  The first zoom meeting was held in May 2023 and regular meetings have been expanded to include informal presentations from participants. The aim is to build to a wider network that may include webinars, conference workshops and newsletters supported by a part-time administrator.

By the end of 2024 the group had expanded with a mailing list of around 500 people from every continent except Antarctica. The group commenced webinars in September 2024 with the support of the Global Plant Council. Up to 200 people have been attending the current webinar series from over 80 countries.

Contact for more information – Kira Maher kira.maher@monash.edu

Webinars  

Supported by The Global Plant Council 

1. Dr Julie Cliff: 'Konzo: Forgotten but not gone' 

2. Dr Espérance Kashala-Abotnes: 'Cassava consumption and early child neurodevelopment: An observational study from the Democratic Republic of Congo' 

3. Prof Ros Gleadow: 'Nutritional quality of cassava in a warming world' 

Safe Cassava Symposium 2025

A virtual symposium will be held in late October - most likely on Monday, 26th and Tuesday, 27th October.

We thank the Global Plant Council for hosting this event.

There will be four themes. Each will last approximately 2 hours with a keynote, some shorter invited presentations and the opportunity for discussion. Talks may be given in languages other than English, with captioning in English. Talks in English will be subtitled in Portuguese or French using Zoom's closed captioning function. Other languages are available if viewing recorded talks on Youtube.

Session Day 1: (Time TBC: early in the day in Europe/Africa; evening in Australia)

1. Neurology/Konzo - Chair: Thorkild Tylleskar (U Bergen, Norway)

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2. Public Health and Rehabilitation -  Chair: Humberto Muquingue (U Eduardo Mondlane, Mozambique)

Session Day 2: (Time TBC: late in the day in Europe/Africa; early morning in Australia)

3. Cassava the plant - Chair: Carlos Iglesias (North Carolina State, USA)

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4. Food systems -  Chair: Louise Abayoma (U Greenwich, London)

More information about registration and timing will be circulated to those on the International Safe Cassava Network Mailing list closer to the time. Information will also be advertised on the Global Plant Council website and through their social media channels.

The event will be free. Donations can be made to the Konzo Prevention Fund instead, which is providing administrative support for the symposium, if desired. There is no obligation to make a donation. Donate now

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