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' 

4. Dr Matt Bramble: ‘Oxidative stress and the gut microbiota: Emerging contributors in cassava associated neuropathies’ 

5. Dr Hernan Ceballos: ‘Cyanogenic glucosides in cassava from the breeding perspective’

All webinars available through this YouTube link:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4Uoz9Q4ChQq8YgGeCv1736-cGlAS9zCF

Safe Cassava Symposium 2025

The virtual Safe Cassava Symposium, organised by members of the International Safe Cassava Network, was held 28-29 October 2025. Over 150 people from at least 37 countries attended this inaugural Symposium where speakers summarised the current state of knowledge and presented new research on cassava and the diseases associated with its toxicity, especially Konzo from a multidisciplinary perspective. The Network replaces the Cyanide in Cassava Disease Network established by the late Dr Howard Bradbury AM through the ANU.  Prof Ros Gleadow (Monash University and visiting ANU fellow) chaired the steering committee. The organisers thank the Global Plant Council and the Konzo Prevention Unit for their support. Attendees were invited to make a donation to the Konzo Prevention Fund.

Watch the event on YouTube
Day 1:  28 October: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6H-QAul_Kw
Day 2: 29 October:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1t2bPbTw40

Day 1- 28 October

Session 1: Konzo and Neurology (20:00 - 21:30 CET)

Chair: Thorkild Tylleskär (U Bergen, Norway)
Keynote: Desiré Tshala-Katumbay (Oregon Health & Science University, USA) 
Short talk 1: Espérance Kashala Abotnes (University of Kinshasa, DRC) 
Short talk 2: Michael Boivin, (Michigan State University, USA)

Session 2: Cassava Safety (22:00 - 23:30 CET)

Chair: Carlos Iglesias (North Carolina State, USA) 
Keynote: Nicholas Karavolias (UC Berkeley, USA) 
Short talk 1: Alex Ogbonna (Inari, USA) 
Short talk 2: Kirsten Jorgensen (University of Copenhagen, Denmark) 
Short talk 3: Hernán Ceballos (CIAT, Colombia)

Day 2- 29 October

Session 1: Public Health and Rehabilitation (20:00 - 21:30 CET) 

Chair: Humberto Muquingue (UEM, Mozambique) 
Keynote: Dulce Nhassico (UEM, Mozambique) 
Short talk 1: Adelaide Cumbane (UEM, Mozambique) 
Short talk 2: Litos Raimundo (Fernando Pessoa University, Portugal)

Session 2: Food systems - Panel discussion (22:00 - 23:30 CET) 

Chair: Louise Abayomi (U Greenwich, London) 
Keynote: Professor Adrienne Martin (NRI-UoG, UK) Professor Ben Bennett (Nri-UoG, UK) Professor Lateef Sanni (NSPRI, Nigeria) Professor Richardson Okechukwu (IITA, Nigeria). 

Information is available on the Global Plant Council website and through their social media channels.

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

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