Agribusiness Archives - Page 7 of 21

Adoption of mobile phones can provide youth with agriculture market access

Agriculture has been categorized as the largest economic sector in most African countries, offering opportunities for poverty alleviation for youth, yet there is still a low percentage of youth involvement in the sector. This has been attributed to several factors. One major reason for poor youth participation in agriculture, according to research carried out in…

PIDMA delivers technologies to farmers’ organizations for sustainable cassava and maize production in Cameroon

The IITA Cassava and Maize Breeding Units in Nigeria have developed multiple cassava and maize genotypes with improved yields, starch content, resistance/tolerance to major pests and diseases, and other characteristics that will satisfy industry requirements, such as improved nutritional content (e.g., higher provitamin A content). The deployment of these newly developed varieties into Cameroon required…

Rural female farmers contributing more to Cameroon’s local economy—IITA-CARE study

According to a 2014 International Labour Office (ILO) study, about half a million young women and a quarter of a million young men can grow food, make goods, and provide services to others in Cameroon. However, several challenges impede the impact of their activities. The study shows that these factors comprise unemployment, poverty, and underemployment,…

Teamwork delivers results in addressing cassava virus diseases!

“If you want to go quickly, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.” The meaning of this African proverb is well manifested by the Virus Vector Ecology Group (VVEG) team at IITA’s Eastern Africa Hub as James Legg, IITA Plant Health Scientist and team lead, shared on its progress and successes towards…

Panelists at the Africa Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) 2020

Youth empowerment key to African agricultural transformation

“Investing in young people is never a waste,” and to achieve the required agricultural transformation on the continent, Africa’s youth must be empowered and mentored. Training Coordinator of Young Africa Works-IITA, Evelyn Ohanwusi, asserted this at the Generation Africa panel, which took place on 9 September during the AGRF in Kigali, Rwanda. Ohanwusi joined other…

Researchers reveal a more sustainable approach to address postharvest fish losses

Small-scale inland capture fisheries contribute significantly toward enhancing the food, nutrition, and economic security of millions of people in low-income countries. Over time, several factors have restrained women’s participation in fishery value chains, limiting capture fisheries from achieving their full development potential. These factors have also reduced the impact that small-scale fisheries can have on…

IITA DDG-P4D, Dr Kenton Dashiell spoke extensively about opportunities in Nigerian agriculture sector.

Hundreds of sustainable and profitable agribusiness opportunities available in Nigeria – IITA DDG

CGIAR-IITA Deputy Director General, Partnerships for Delivery, Kenton Dashiell, has encouraged Nigerians to take up sustainable and profitable opportunities in the country’s agriculture sector. He made this appeal during his keynote address at the National Conference on Agricultural Innovations for Food Security in the Post COVID-19 Era. In his presentation, Dashiell highlighted multiple technologies and…

The gender equity gap: An inside look at vegetable producers and traders in northern and central Tanzania

Researchers have found that female vegetable farmers and traders in northern Tanzania earn less than their male counterparts while providing the same amount of labor, highlighting the need for more effort to tackle gender inequalities in agriculture. A study published in The European Journal of Development Research (February 2020) analyzed how gender inequality has affected…

STEP impact goes beyond secondary schools to communities

The Start Them Early Program (STEP) of IITA is making more impact than was envisioned at the beginning of the program. STEP, which was initially meant to change the negative mindset of secondary school students about agriculture, has also begun to positively impact parents and the communities where these secondary schools are located. The STEP…

IITA and regional grains body to work towards producing aflatoxin-free grain for health and trade

CGIAR-IITA and the Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to work together to tackle aflatoxin contamination of grain in the region. Achieving this will ensure that grains are safe for human and livestock consumption and meet export standards. Aflatoxin, a highly poisonous chemical produced by a naturally occurring fungus known as Aspergillus flavus, poses a severe health threat to both humans and animals. Acute…