The key is that the field research takes place in the student's home countries, using local landraces to create locally adapted varieties. An example of the program's success has been that students in both Kenya and Tanzania reduced the time to harvest cassava from 18 months to 7 months, whilst improving yield, starch content and food quality. In addition, new cassava varieties have been bred that are resistant to two deadly viruses that cause losses of 50-100% of crops and yields in most of Africa, including South Africa.