IITA News

Scientists unravel genome and diversity of whitefly vector behind viral diseases devastating cassava in Africa

As part of efforts to control the spread of the two viral diseases attacking cassava in Africa, cassava mosaic disease (CMD) and cassava brown streak disease (CBSD)—scientists have announced a breakthrough whole genome sequencing of Bemisia tabaci, the African whitefly that is spreading the diseases. Read more

Another PhD for the Breeding Better Banana project as Michael Batte successfully defends his thesis

Michael Batte successfully defended his PhD thesis titled Increasing efficiency of the breeding pipeline for East African highland bananas on 4 June at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) Alnarp campus. His studies were sponsored by the Breeding Better Banana project that is led by IITA as part of its capacity building program. This…

ACDI/VOCA Country Representative for Nigeria visits IITA

The Nigeria Country Representative of ACDI/VOCA, Olaf Kula, visited IITA-Ibadan on 24 May. The visit aimed at establishing a partnership between ACDI/VOCA and IITA. Kula, who is also a Senior Agribusiness Adviser to this Agricultural Development NGO, visited the Institute to get a better understanding of IITA activities and explore the possibility of partnering with…

ACAI capacity building for partners: Nigeria and Tanzania NARS training on data management

The African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI) has started a series of data management training for staff members from the national agricultural research system (NARS), in the project target countries. The NARS staff from Nigeria and Tanzania are being trained on data collection using the ODK suite tool, data analysis in R, and geospatial information system…

Travel advisory: Tanzania bans single-use plastic bags

The Government of Tanzania has announced a strict ban on plastic bags in the country. The ban, which came into effect on 1 June, prohibits the manufacture, importation, and use of all single-use plastic bags including shopping and garbage bags. Offenders could face heavy penalties including fines and possible jail term. In an Institute-wide email,…

CBSD-DRC project trains extension agents in communication and sensitization about cassava brown streak disease

The IITA project to combat Cassava brown streak disease in DR Congo (CBSD-DRC) organized a training workshop for the National Extension Service [in French: Service National de Vulgarisation (SNV)] on Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD), 28-29 May. The training focused on communication and sensitization about CBSD and the collaboration between SNV and IITA. SNV is…

IARSAF holds 22nd Annual Symposium

The 22nd Annual Symposium of the IITA International Association of Research Scholars and Fellows (IARSAF) was held on 20-24 May in Ibadan. The annual symposium is a gathering of research fellows and early career researchers and provides an opportunity to showcase their research activities through posters and oral presentations. Following the theme of the symposium:…

IITA attends flag-off of FCT 2019 farming season

IITA made a strong appearance at the Federal Capital Territory Administration Flag-off of the 2019 Farming Season on 21 May in Abuja. The IITA stand featured publications and products including Aflasafe, vine cutting technology, cassava stem varieties, rice, cowpea, maize, and soybean varieties. The IITA exhibition facilitated the effective delivery of the FCTA partnership with…

TAAT and ACAI train stakeholders on Good Agronomy Technology Practice

The Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) project in collaboration with the African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI) conducted a training on Good Agricultural Technologies’ Practices (GATP) and Mechanization for cassava stakeholders in Mkuranga, Eastern Zone Tanzania. The training is part of TAAT’s core objective to empower project stakeholders for efficient and effective deployment of appropriate…

IITA scientists and partners screen up to 189 types of banana for provitamin A

R4D Special Scientists have finalized the mammoth task of screening up to 189 banana genotypes to identify those with high levels of provitamin A for integration into IITA’s banana improvement program as part of ongoing efforts to develop banana hybrids with enhanced vitamin A. The fat-soluble vitamin A is essential for vision, reproduction, growth, and…