Bulletin story Archives - Page 16 of 138

IITA trains northeast women in beekeeping and goat rearing

Through the USAID-funded Feed-the-Future Nigeria Integrated Agriculture Activity, IITA recently built the capacity of 28 women in beekeeping to enhance household nutrition and income. The three-day training took place in Marama community in Hawul Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State between 20 and 22 October. It featured beehives set-up, colony management, and other skills…

TETFUND Engineering group seeks to partner with IITA in delivering science technology

TETFund seeks partnership with IITA for impactful agricultural research

A 3-member delegation from Nigeria’s Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Standing Committee on Research and Development Agriculture visited IITA-Ibadan on 20 November, as part of a new initiative to ensure that research impacts society. The team set out to find existing programs delivering on research for development in the agricultural sector and looked forward to…

TETFund Engineering group seeks to partner with IITA in delivering science technology

On 26 November, delegates from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Standing Committee for Research and Development (R&D) on Engineering visited IITA headquarters. The visit was to explore technology transfer mechanisms and strategies and IITA activities that involve engineering and mechanization to ensure that research impacts society through agricultural transformation. The TETFund aims to identify…

New publication tackles the major challenges facing banana production

Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing are delighted to announce the publication of their new title – Achieving sustainable cultivation of bananas – Volume 2: Germplasm and genetic improvement. The book offers an authoritative discussion on the progress of identifying and broadening the genetic base for Musa species and reviews current conventional and molecular breeding techniques for breeding new varieties of banana. This new…

Do not forget Plant Health in the One Health approach says IITA scientist

The One Health approach, which looks at the interconnectedness between human, animal, and environmental health, should also emphasize plant health, says IITA’s plant health pathologist for the Eastern Africa hub, George Mahuku. Speaking at a seminar at IITA-Tanzania on 3 November, Mahuku said, “There is an urgent need to recognize the interconnection between plant health…

Dr Kwesi Atta-Krah, moderating the webinar.

Private sector engagement: Way forward for African Agriculture

A webinar was organized on 5 November to connect partners and deliberate on ways to increase private sector engagement in African agriculture. The webinar, a collaborative activity of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) with Grow Africa, IITA, and Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT), was moderated by Kwesi Atta-Krah, IITA Director for Country and…

Project supports teaching on Climate-smart Agriculture in agricultural training institutes in Tanzania

Tanzania Agriculture PS acknowledges and lauds IITA research work

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Tanzania, has recognized the importance of research conducted by IITA and partners to address challenges in the horticulture sector as well as the presence and work done by IITA in Tanzania in general. The PS said he was well aware of the Institute’s work in the country and termed it excellent work toward transforming the agricultural sector. The PS, Mr Gerald Kusaya, said this while…

Study identifies banana varieties resistant to black Sigatoka and provides further insights into the disease pathogen

Black leaf Sigatoka, one of the most widespread and damaging banana diseases—causing yield losses of 20–50%—is widespread in Uganda and Tanzania, posing a challenge to banana production as bananas grown in East Africa are susceptible to the disease. However, the good news is that five hybrids of East African Highland banana hybrids named NARITA, after their…

Project supports Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) teaching in agricultural training institutes in Tanzania

One way to help farmers cope with climate change and its threat to their livelihood is to ensure the extension officers who work with them are knowledgeable on climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices and technologies and how to apply them in different agro-climatic zones and production systems. In this regard, the Building Capacity for Resilient Food Security in Tanzania, supported by the USAID mission in the country,…

An RTB innovation: Disease mapping and surveillance made easier through an AI-powered smartphone app and drone/satellite image analysis

An RTB innovation: Disease mapping and surveillance made easier through AI-powered app and drone/satellite image analysis

Disease surveillance and mapping have, for a long time, heavily relied on in-person field surveys by knowledgeable staff. However, this approach has been limited by its high cost, often limited human capacity, and difficulty accessing more remote locations. In addition, the inability of farmers and sometimes local extension staff to rightly identify and or differentiate…