IITA News

IITA launches Agribusiness Training Program for secondary schools in Oyo State

Ibadan, Nigeria – The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), through a new initiative known as the Start Them Early Program (STEP), is introducing agribusiness training in secondary schools in Oyo State. To promote interest in agriculture and learning among the secondary-school aged children, IITA will launch a modern agribusiness training facility at Fasola Grammar…

DG Nteranya Sanginga talking about the transition of the BASICS project from phase I to II.

IITA launches BASICS-II project

On 25 June, IITA launched the second phase of the project Building an Economically Sustainable and Integrated Cassava Seed System (BASICS II). With a duration of 5 years, BASICS II will be led by Project Manager Lateef Oladimeji Sanni, former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development), Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria. The BASICS project was first launched…

Participants at an Adamawa training session.

Integrated Agriculture Activity trains trainers on climate-smart and improved agricultural practices in North-Eastern Nigeria

As part of its mandate to facilitate improved agro-input and extension advisory services to serve vulnerable populations, the USAID-funded Integrated Agriculture Activity project under Feed the Future Nigeria recently conducted a training of trainers (ToT) for selected participants from Adamawa and Borno States. The training focused on climate-smart and improved agricultural practices, with trainees drawn…

One of the workshops, introducing IITA-developed digital tools to extension workers, media and collaborators.

IITA uses digital tools to improve delivery of research products and knowledge

Digital communication is the present. That is why IITA is continuously working to improve its digital delivery system for increased impact. In the last decade, ICTs have emerged as frontline tools for transforming agricultural systems in sub-Saharan Africa. The present COVID-19 pandemic has made it necessary for the government and non-governmental agencies in Africa to…

The IITA team, led by Dr Kokou Kintche, IITA DRC, with Governor Theo Ngwabidje Kasi at the South Kivu governor’s office.

Package delivered to fight COVID-19 crisis in South-Kivu

As part of its social responsibility activities, CGIAR-IITA, in collaboration with the Catholic University of Bukavu (UCB), delivered donations to South Kivu administrative division in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to combat the effects of the coronavirus pandemic in the country. The relief package, delivered on 23 June, is part of a short and long-term…

Artificial intelligence: A game-changer for agriculture in Africa

CGIAR-IITA plant health scientist James Legg was a recent guest on Plantopia, a podcast series to mark the International Year of Plant Health, and interviewed by Cornell University’s David Gadoury. Legg talked about a powerful tool that is putting information in farmers’ hands. This tool is an app, PlantVillage , which was developed in partnership…

IITA releases 10-year strategy for managing invasive species in Africa

Prevention, early detection and control make up the three-pronged approach that Africa is taking on to manage the menace of invasive species on the continent. As the climate continues to change, invasive species also continue to increase and spread globally. Countries cannot wave off a global challenge individually hence the need for a continent-wide strategy. This…

IITA to host One-Health webinar on climate-driven pests and diseases in West Africa

On Tuesday, 30 June 2020, CGIAR-IITA will host a webinar on climate-driven pests and diseases in West Africa under the “One-Health platform for climate-driven pests and diseases in West Africa”. The webinar will take place from 2 to 4 pm West African time. To advance agricultural and food systems, CGIAR instituted eight unique Regional Grand Challenges focusing…

Project to build sustainable cassava seed system in Africa gets new phase

Ibadan, Nigeria: To improve their yields and incomes, African cassava farmers need regular and reliable access to high quality planting materials of the newest and best varieties. Access to such cassava stems, however, is often a problem. Agrodealers don’t sell them, and free distributions by NGOs and government programs are sporadic and unreliable. Consequently, many…

IYA partners with Oyo State Government to resuscitate rural training center

IITA Youth Agripreneurs (IYA) is partnering with the Oyo State Government on revitalizing and using the Rural Community Development Centre (RCDC) in Awe, Afijio Local Government Area of Oyo town, as a satellite site for its youth-in-agribusiness related activities. IYA proposed that the RCDC, which is located about 56 kilometers from Ibadan, be used for…