Bulletin story Archives - Page 8 of 138

Improving human health with plant extracts

Healthy eating starts with healthy food choices, improving health, and preventing malnutrition and a range of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and health conditions. However, increased production of processed foods, rapid urbanization, and changing lifestyles have led to a shift in dietary patterns. Also, the exact make-up of a diversified, balanced, and healthy diet varies depending on…

IITA receives Service Support Award from NAQS

NAQS honors IITA with “Service Support Award” for phytosanitary capacity development

A long-time collaborator and partner, the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Services (NAQS), honored IITA with the “Service Support Award” for excellent support and collaboration towards the achievements of its mandate. The plaque was given during the passing out ceremony of new NAQS staff on 16 April 2021, at the Regional Post Entry and Diagnostics Centre, Moor…

Incoming BoT member commends IITA’s work in upscaling research for impact

On 21 April, Professor Felix Kolawole Salako, Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), visited IITA to reacquaint himself with the Institute and find areas of collaboration between IITA and FUNAAB. Prof. Salako is an incoming member of the IITA Board of Trustees (BoT). Prof. Salako was a researcher at IITA from 1989 to 2000. “I am an…

IITA supports production of Tanzania’s national cassava development strategy

IITA-Tanzania has handed over to the Ministry of Agriculture 2000 copies of the National Cassava Development Strategy, a roadmap to guide cassava commercialization and industrialization initiatives in the country. IITA had offered to support the government in editing and printing the copies. The books were handed over to the Ministry at their headquarters in Dodoma…

Experts examine plant health from a One Health approach

Sustainably feeding the growing world population and safeguarding the environment we depend on for food requires a one-health approach. This assertion was the foundation of the fourth webinar in the CGIAR-organized International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) Webinar Series on 31 March. Plant health is critical in the one health approach to ensure food security,…

Peas ‘n’ Chips: Creating food security with African yam bean

The African yam bean (AYB), Sphenostylis stenocarpa, produces beans in pods above-ground and tubers beneath. This climate-resilient tuberous legume replenishes the soil through nitrogen fixation and is highly nutritious, with the protein-rich beans and the tuber as an energy source. AYB has a high amino-acid profile and alleviated malnourishment during the Nigerian civil war in…

Baale of Araromi confers chieftaincy title on IITA Director General

The Baale of Araromi Idi-Ose, Chief Rahman Adebayo Oniduhun, has conferred a traditional chieftaincy title on IITA’s Director General, Nteranya Sanginga. This followed a visit to the IITA headquarters of a delegation of 10 chiefs from the Institute’s host community, Idi-Ose land, led by the new Baale on 15 April. The DG received the delegates with the Deputy Director General, Corporate Services, Hilde Koper; Head Security and Safety, David Oluwadare; Manager for Resource Protocol, Toyin Oke; and members of IITA’s Communication team. DG Sanginga welcomed the guests, giving a brief overview of IITA’s location, forest, lake, workforce, and the Institute’s presence…

IITA-Tanzania wins award for promoting workplace gender equality

IITA-Tanzania was among the recipients of this year’s Rising Woman Award to recognize the Institute’s efforts to support women leaders. IITA-Tanzania has more women than men in management positions in the Corporate Services, including the Institute’s Director for Eastern Africa, Head of Finance and Administration, and Heads of Human Resources, Procurement, and Communication. Moreover, IITA’s…

IITA, key partner for promoting agriculture as a business for smallholder farmers in DRC

As part of the PICAGL project implementation funded by the World Bank through the Congolese government, IITA hosted an agricultural fair in Bukavu from 8 to 9 April with the theme: “Agriculture as Business, Source of income for smallholders farmers in South Kivu.” The fair’s general objective was to highlight IITA’s research contribution, with the support of its partners, in favor of smallholder farmers in South Kivu. These include producing healthy varieties with high yields and tolerance to diseases in collaboration with the National Institution for…

Food security in maize production: Managing its implications and sustainability

Maize (Zea mays) is a staple food in many parts of the world, with the total production surpassing wheat or rice. Maize is usually consumed green but can also be eaten as masa, a maize dough from ground corn, soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution to remove aflatoxin, which Latin Americans consume. The crop is also used as the main ingredient to produce corn…