Spread of Cassava in Africa

Timeline

1. c. 1550–1570Coast of the Kingdom of Congo · AngolaThe Portuguese brought cassava tubers from Brazil to the coasts of Congo and Angola, first trial-planting them at mission stations and trading posts; well suited to the tropical climate, they were quickly adopted by local farmers as a supplementary starch crop for coastal settlements.
2. c. 1570–1590Congo Basin · Congo BasinFrom the 1570s cassava spread inland along the Congo River and trade routes; farmers incorporated it into rotation and fallow systems alongside existing root crops, while knowledge of detoxification processing (fermentation, sun-drying) gradually improved as it spread.
3. 1591West African coast to the southern Sahel fringe · West AfricaIn the 1590s cassava continued northward along Atlantic coastal and inland trade routes to some West African ports and settlements, and was trial-planted in northern Central Africa and the southern Sahel fringe; the scale of spread at this stage was still smaller than in the Congo Basin, but it laid the foundation for becoming a staple food in the 17th–18th centuries.
4. 1601Sub-Saharan Africa · Sub-Saharan AfricaAfter the 17th century cassava was widely grown in Nigeria, Ghana, and elsewhere, and by the 20th century it became one of Africa's most important root crops; its drought tolerance proved especially important for food security in the post-colonial period, with processed products such as gari and foutou becoming part of local diets.